Part 3 of 3: Turning SDOH Data into Measurable Impact

2-minute read

In Part 1, we explored the importance of tracking Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and why it’s the right thing for individuals, communities, and your healthcare organization. In part 2, we reviewed how the two-way information exchange works and its benefits.

Now, we will talk about how to take action.

Turning SDOH Data into Measurable Impact

The potential to change the health of our communities is substantial and mission-critical for healthcare organizations. Getting it right is the right thing to do, and it also makes business sense. However, to get there, healthcare organizations need to shift from collecting SDOH data to making it work across partner organizations, varying systems, and multiple data languages.

Organizations can start by evaluating where they are today:

• How do you know the intervention benefited the patient?
• Can you prove you’re preventing illness, not just treating it?
• Are you able to show quality metrics without closing the data loop?

Right now, most organizations can’t. And that’s a problem—not just for patients like Jane (remember her from Part 1), but for the financial health of their organizations.

Why Closed-Loop Data Matters

Two-way data sharing enables healthcare organizations to build a stronger, smarter chain of information, tracking what happens after a referral, seeing the outcomes, feeding that insight back into the system, and ultimately sharing that information with the referring organization.

Closing the loop on SDOH data unlocks significant gains:

The goal is simple: a clean record for every patient that follows them from hospital to community resource and back again, with outcomes attached.

Taking the Next Step

The good news? Most organizations already have the technology, and the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) data standard is at their disposal. The pieces are there. What’s needed now is the resources to put them together. The next steps aren’t conceptually hard, but they’re resource-heavy and technically complex in practice.

1. Understand this is new territory. SDOH data isn’t typical healthcare data. It’s different, and it comes with its own set of standards and expectations.

2. Lead with clean data. Health systems must drive the standard, starting with clean, accurate client records. Once you adopt FHIR standards, partner organizations will follow.

3. Map it, don’t replace it. You don’t need to overhaul your current data. You need to map and code your data to the national SDOH standard.

4. Put governance in place. A structured, ongoing governance process is essential to managing changes, scaling across teams, and maintaining compliance.

The Azulity team is healthcare-focused, outcome-driven

From cleansing and mapping your data to aligning with national standards and building governance models, we can help you put your SDOH data to work. 

We are a data management consulting and implementation firm focused squarely and deeply on the healthcare space. Our team understands your challenges. We’ve been in your shoes, and we help our clients – payers and providers – overcome SDOH data obstacles. We can help you get your data ready for the next wave of SDOH

Check out the other parts of this series: 

• Part 1: Preparing for the Next Wave of SDOH Data Tracking
• Part 2: Don’t Drop the Data: The Impact of Completing the SDOH Data Loop