New Anthem Public Policy Institute Report Outlines Key Differences in How Individuals and the Public Perceive Social Determinants of Health
Business Wire 29-May-2019 11:20 AM
New White Paper Examines Online Patient Forums, Academic Research
and News Reports to Better Identify and Address Gaps
Individuals who are living with chronic or acute conditions perceive and
discuss social determinants of health differently than researchers and
the media, creating missed opportunities for payers and providers to
address gaps and engage more effectively with members and patients,
according to a new white paper from Anthem's Public Policy Institute.
Social determinants of health are socioeconomic factors that include
housing, transportation, access to food, and social support as well as
access to healthcare. These factors have gained widespread recognition
for their role in healthcare and health outcomes, and a growing number
of care providers, as well as public and private payers, have
incorporated social determinants assessments and interventions.
Anthem's Public Policy Institute partnered with Quid, a research
platform designed to analyze text-based data, to examine academic
papers, news articles and individuals' posts on patient forums focused
on cancer, diabetes and mental health conditions. The analysis found
that consumers identify influences that impact them daily – like whether
they have support from family, or can find the right doctor for their
condition. Researchers and journalists, meanwhile, focus on structural
factors like education and income level. While these findings do not
seem surprising, this is the first analysis to examine social
determinants in this way.
"While there has been a lot in the media and academic research on social
determinants of health, no one has ever compared the focus of that work
with the perspectives of individuals who have chronic or acute
conditions to determine whether their priorities are aligned," said
Jennifer Kowalski, vice president of the Anthem Public Policy Institute.
"By better understanding how individuals view and talk about social
determinants, payers and providers alike can identify new and improved
ways to engage with them to more effectively improve their health and
wellbeing and the delivery of healthcare."
The analysis also showed that individuals were concerned with factors
like social supports and food that might be easier to modify, while
academic and news reports focused on factors like education and economic
stability that take more time and resources to address. Beyond
discussions about navigating the healthcare system, social support was
raised most frequently on patient forums for cancer and mental health
conditions, while nutrition and access to food were the most common
posts on forums for patients with diabetes.
The report suggests that payers, providers and other engaged
stakeholders can take steps including investing in and expanding
community capacity to improve access to food, transportation, and social
capital, among other resources; and supporting policy and funding
mechanisms that expand available solutions and enhance the impact of
resources aimed at reducing barriers. Copies of the Anthem Public Policy
Institute's white papers are available at: http://anthempublicpolicyinstitute.com,
and are also discussed at: http://thinkanthem.com.
About the Anthem Public Policy Institute
The Anthem Public Policy Institute was established to share data and
insights to inform public policy and shape the health care programs of
the future. The Public Policy Institute strives to be an objective and
credible contributor to health care innovation and transformation
through publication of policy-relevant data analysis, timely research
and insights from Anthem's innovative programs.
About Anthem, Inc.
Anthem is a leading health benefits company dedicated to improving lives
and communities, and making healthcare simpler. Through its affiliated
companies, Anthem serves more than 78 million people, including over 40
million within its family of health plans. We aim to be the most
innovative, valuable and inclusive partner. For more information, please
visit www.antheminc.com
or follow @AnthemInc on Twitter.
About Quid
Quid is a research platform that inspires full-picture thinking by
drawing connections across massive amounts of written content. Our
powerful set of core technologies mimics the way the human brain reads
and organizes information but does so at a scale and speed beyond the
capabilities of any single researcher or team. Quid leverages
proprietary machine intelligence to broaden and deepen your analysis.
The platform identifies patterns in millions of text-based documents to
link otherwise disparate elements into broader storylines that can
signal forthcoming trends, opportunities, or potential trouble ahead. www.quid.com.
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