28 Oct Health Data News Roundup: Addressing SDOH; United Health Foundation News; and Health Payers Alternative Payment Model Activity

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Roundup from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

5 Ways Healthcare Organizations Can Address Social Determinants of Health
Healthcare providers can address social determinants of health through five approaches—awareness, adjustment, assistance, alignment, and advocacy, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

UHG Funds Research on Digital Access to Care Solutions
The United Health Foundation, UnitedHealth Group’s (UHG’s) philanthropic arm, will partner with the Morehouse School of Medicine’s National Center for Primary Care to determine whether digital access to care solutions can resolve disparities in the south.

91 Percent of Payers Foresee Alternative Payment Model Activity Increase
An overwhelming 91 percent of payers think that alternative payment model (APM) activity will increase in the future, according to a recent survey conducted by Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (LAN).

Community Health Centers Partner with OCHIN for New EHR System
North County Health Services (NCHS), a southern California health system hosting 12 community health centers, is partnering with Oregon Community Health Information Network (OCHIN) to implement its EHR and electronic dental records (EDR) systems, practice management, and other health IT services.

New Tool Helps Promote ICD-10 Codes For Social Determinants of Health Data
In an effort to help broaden the ways in which social determinants of health can inform clinical decision making, eHealth Initiative & Foundation (eHI) has recently released some new tools to promote the use of ICD-10-CM codes to capture SDOH data in the electronic health record. eHI’s collaborative includes Humana, United HealthCare, American Hospital Association and others.

CMS Considers AI and Value-Based Care Fraud Prevention Strategies
CMS sent out two requests for information, one on program integrity issues regarding the fee-for-service to value-based care transition and the other on how to evolve data analytics and artificial intelligence to suppress fraudulent activities.

Cerner Acquires Consultant AbleVets to Support Health IT Projects
Cerner will acquire AbleVets, a Washington, DC area-based strategic IT consulting and engineering firm that will provide Cerner with technical expertise in designing and implementing efficient solutions federally.