Twenty years; that's how much longer someone who spends their life in an affluent neighbourhood might live compared to someone who grows up in a socioeconomically deprived section of the same city. That appears to be the case in major cities across Europe and the United States. This inequality in health outcomes is only to a small part explained by the lack of access to medical care. Last month we published our report, Breaking the dependency cycle which examined the more intransigent causes including access to and opportunities in education, employment, housing, public transport and welfare services . Our report identifies a host of case studies and urges governments and providers to break down organisational barriers and collectively address these wider social determinants of health. Throughout our research, we were able to exchange ideas with our colleagues from the US Center for Health Solutions who last week launched their report Addressing social determinants of health in hospitals that analyses, how US hospitals, in their crucial position within the care system, are investing in social needs. This week's blog is written by our US colleague, Josh Lee, who leads the firm's US Healthcare Provider Strategy Practice and first appeared as part of the US Center for Health Solution blog. The article highlights the motivation for the report, identifies challenges and points to key strategies that could be adopted by hospitals and integrated local health systems globally to improve health outcomes.
To read the article in full click here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
