Strong Social Support Services, Such As Transportation And Help For Caregivers, Can Lead To Lower Health Care Use And Costs

Abstract

A growing evidence base suggests services that address social factors with an impact on health, such as transportation and caregiver support, must be integrated into new models of care if the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim is to be realized. We examined early evidence from seven innovative care models currently in use, each with strong social support services components. The evidence suggests that coordinated efforts to identify and meet the social needs of patients can lead to lower health care use and costs, and better outcomes for patients. For example, Senior Care Options—a Massachusetts program that coordinates the direct delivery of social support services for patients with chronic conditions and adults with disabilities—reported that hospital days per 1,000 members were just 55 percent of those generated by comparable patients not receiving the program’s extended services. More research is required to determine which social service components yield desired outcomes for specific patient populations. Gaining these deeper insights and disseminating them widely offer the promise of considerable benefit for patients and the health care system as a whole.