Description

In this article, the author articulates five things we know and five things health care organizations need to learn to address social determinants of health for the national quality strategy. The authors acknowledge that critics are right to question how we address yet another issue in health care. However, organizations can define (and circumscribe) their roles, and join or form new community partnerships to prioritize, develop, and implement proven and/or testable interventions. With the failure of our current health care system to deliver better health and well-being at an affordable cost, exploring opportunities in the other determinants of health seems wise, if not imperative.