Collecting and using social needs data in health settings: a systematic review of the literature on health service utilization and costs
A new research paper from the Upstream Lab finds that collecting and using data to address patients’ social needs – such as income, education, housing, and food security – may be associated with reduced healthcare costs and decreased health service use.
Over the past decade, an increasing number of healthcare settings, such as hospitals and clinics, have begun collecting data about patients’ social needs, and using this information to connect patients to supports and services.
We conducted a systematic review of studies, published between 2015 and 2024, on the impact of collecting and using patients’ social needs data in a variety of health settings in high-income countries.
Based on 35 studies included in the review, predominantly from the United States, we found: Most studies reported reductions in emergency department visits (13 out of 35 studies) and hospitalizations (14 out of 35 studies) associated with collecting and using social needs data. Several studies demonstrated associated cost reductions, particularly in emergency department and hospitalization costs.
Collecting and using social needs data within healthcare settings shows potential for reducing health service utilization and associated costs, particularly in populations with high levels of social needs.
Published in BMC Health Services Research
Significance of this research:
For policymakers:
- In Canada, social needs data (whether collected or derived with AI or from linked data) could be used as part of funding formulas to risk-adjust payments to health professionals, incentivizing them to provide services to patients made vulnerable by socioeconomic inequities
- This research answers a question – What are the impacts of social needs data collection and use on health service utilization and healthcare costs? – that has been consistently asked by policymakers seeking to invest in collecting social needs data
For healthcare providers:
- These findings may have direct relevance to healthcare providers’ work when communicating with health clinics and health system leaders about the value of collecting social needs data – such as by using Upstream Lab’s SPARK Tool
