Considerations for Documenting and Sharing Health-related Social Needs Information in Pediatric Care Settings
Many pediatric health systems have recently implemented social needs screening and support programs in response to the link between social needs and children’s health outcomes, as well as mandates and incentives from payers and regulatory organizations.
In developing processes for documenting and sharing social needs information, health systems need to balance family and caregiver perspectives, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements, and establishing workflows that support an appropriate response. Additionally, payers who are incentivizing or mandating social needs screening should also consider caregiver perspectives and preferences when developing these policies.
Building on a previous PolicyLab resource and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) research, a new brief reviews policies and trends in health-related social needs screening and summarizes research findings on caregiver perspectives related to documenting and sharing social needs information in pediatrics.
The authors offer recommendations for screening and documentation that address the tensions between regulatory requirements, caregiver preferences and the practicalities of health information sharing.