How HHS Can Use Social Data for Better Healthcare

The social determinants of health (SDOH) — which include income, education, housing, environment, and food availability — are attracting increasing attention across the health care industry and in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Public health experts have realized that a person’s ZIP code can be just as important as his or her genetic code in predicting health risks. Simultaneously, HHS has identified social interventions as an important part of the Department’s mission. HHS Secretary Alex Azar has said that the “social determinants would be important to HHS even if...