The real “chicken and egg” dynamic is developing and is now developing health equity. Between the ever-evolving federal mandate and the requirements of a specific care program, health businesses are facing an increasing need to track the most important barriers to care, especially by collecting data from strong patient reports.
In theory, this should be a good thing. After all, collecting data on the social determinants of health (SDOH) is the first step in addressing barriers that prevent patients from accessing necessary care. But, in fact, it's rarely easy. Many leaders recognize that while they must ask patients about the power to stop them, they may not be able to provide relevant solutions.
On the patient side, this imbalance can range from discomfort to brokenness. For a low-income single mother, revealing that she has no means to take care of her children and that she has to take care of her health can be a very vulnerable experience. To make this disclosure “thank you” with automation, no help could cause inevitable damage to her trust in the healthcare system that has been committed to finding her.
If patients have a clear understanding of what happens to their own self-reported data, they may wonder why they should share such personal information completely. This is the question that prompts many healthcare managers to think now: How do we safely and responsibly ask patients to share sensitive information that we may not have changed our powers?
This is particularly worrying, as patients are often reluctant to disclose sensitive information, such as financial struggles or limited transportation, unless they need help in a desperate need. If health care providers fail to respond meaningfully, they may lack key opportunities to connect and support with their patients during these subtle moments.
Healthcare leaders must start by understanding the sensitive and evolving balance between data collection and patient support.
Act on data
The increasing emphasis on SDOH data means a new responsibility to quickly turn data into action. Healthcare leaders are calling out a way to quickly operate patient insights – overcoming the destructive reputation of healthcare collecting a lot of data and keeping it tired.
The current wave of patient data collection has been authorized by agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which aims to leverage data to drive links between social needs, health outcomes, and health care costs. Collecting patient data is necessary, but it is also a key opportunity for every individual healthcare system to better understand patients.
Patients are affected by many, interconnected barriers and needs – socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood environment, employment, and access to care can significantly affect their health. When analyzing these data, it is easy to understand the root causes behind the differences in community health and plan more equitable and effective strategies tailored to the needs of these populations. However, achieving this requires a certain level of trust.
With the new inaugural government, more moments of change and uncertainty can be expected, including further reductions in Medicaid funding, support and quality of care. Patients may lose coverage. They may face obstacles they have overcome before. They may struggle with acute feelings because their health care is opaque, bureaucratic, and not designed for them. It is absolutely crucial to establish trusted pathways for patients to share their barriers to care in these moments. Without this trust, businesses may risk complying with regulations and disappointing patients.
Check for health fairness
When reviewing admissions for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) programs as federal and state benchmarks, harvests may first feel confusing or contradictory. The truth is that Medicaid and chip enrollment surged during Covid, and the subsequent “relaxation” process can return to access to these programs. As of January 2025, 78.4 million people have recruited Medicaid and chip programs, which is an increase (+10%) from pre-pandemic levels, but has seen a higher decline since March 2023 (-17%). By state, this decline is sometimes even more dramatic. Today, in 13 states, children with Medicaid/bargaining chips are lower than pre-pandemic enrollment.
Given this, it may be surprising that the enrollment rate of the state’s Medicaid and leverage chips is still higher than before the pandemic. One of the key factors behind this trend is the change in the enrollment process. Since the pandemic began, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion encouraged 40 states to expand enrollment. Many states also took the opportunity to review and update their renewal process, which may reduce the number of qualified personnel deprived.
Despite the overall increase in enrollment, in recent years, due to the failure of bureaucracy to confirm its qualifications, a large number of individuals have been deprived of in recent years. An illustrative example: Many healthcare businesses suspended eligibility checks during the pandemic to make many difficult times. In the consequences, these families and individuals are vulnerable to surprise degradation. Looking back at the situations that lead to many deprivation, every step taken may have good intentions. Unfortunately, this has not changed the troubles and sometimes significant harm of families relying on their lost coverage.
To prevent further harm and ensure that families no longer lag behind, we must use data more proactively – not only to close the gap in coverage, but also to support accountability in how to manage the continuity of care. One reason data collection is needed is to define accountability for patient health care continuity associated with federal funding. States are expected to express responsibility for how they spend federal funds related to Medicaid and chips, and must use the correct patient population data to prepare the system.
This is a unique moment to evaluate each tool in the box and explore how technology can help healthy businesses move forward, allowing us to engage a diverse patient population through their preferred communication channels, digitally investigate their SDOH needs, and create new ways to meet the unveiled cultural and socio-economic needs.
Photo: Getty Images
OT, MBA's Carrie Kozlowski is the co-founder and COO of Health Catalyst, a fast-growing, influential digital health care company. Up-term partners working with provider organizations will digitally interact with patients, transform their experiences, and complete the necessary steps of care through personalized, well-curated content based on the science of health communication. Carrie has combined real-world clinical experience with strategic thinking and business acumen for the past two decades, leading strategy, operations and talent development to improve population health and patient engagement outcomes to achieve forward-looking companies. Carrie's clinical background includes experience in providing direct care, training and management services as a practicing occupational therapist in Houston and Chicago. She holds a MBA from the University of Illinois, the University of Chicago, focusing on entrepreneurship and strategic change management, and received a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy from the University of Hartford.
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