Through an initiative supported by the Aetna Foundation, an independent charitable and philanthropic affiliate of CVS Health, NQF collaborated with a diverse group of experts to identify quality and payment innovations to systematically address SDOH, which can account for almost 60 percent of health outcomes.

Despite the nation’s advancements and level of health care spending, resources directly linked to effective care are not equally accessible or integrated with health care delivery across communities, populations, and socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups. The contributing factors, known as social determinants of health, are community-level conditions in the environments in which people live, work, play, worship, and age. Over the last decade, there has been growing recognition that a patient’s zip code is a better indicator of his or her health outcomes than genetic code.

Addressing SDOH will require transparency, cooperation, inclusion, and shared priorities across the nation at all levels. Understanding the national commitment needed to achieve health equity, NQF brought together leading experts through a series of focused discussions that culminated in the SDOH Payment Summit. This event convened nearly 60 diverse healthcare stakeholders from across the country to discuss national strategies, barriers, and recommendations and the importance of community and patient partnerships in SDOH initiatives.

Released at a bipartisan congressional briefing, this multistakeholder initiative sets forth a National Call to Action for quality and payment innovation to address SDOH.