A new report outlines how state Medicaid programs can improve the health of Medicaid beneficiaries through a more concerted approach to addressing social determinants of health.

The report, from the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, focuses on how state Medicaid programs, through alternative payment models and especially through managed care organizations, have implemented new programs designed to address social determinants of health such as inadequate social supports and housing, food insecurity, lack of transportation, and others.  It also highlights federal regulations that facilitate the implementation of new ways to address social determinants of health and presents brief case studies in which states, state Medicaid programs, and Medicaid managed care organizations tackle social determinants of health.

Such approaches are especially relevant to Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals because they care for so many more Medicaid patients than the typical community hospital.

Learn more from the Institute for Medicaid Innovation report “Innovation and Opportunities to Address Social Determinants of Health in Medicaid Managed Care.”