Leveraging the Social Determinants of Health: What Works?

Social determinants of health have taken center stage in recent discussions of health policy in the wake of the ACA. Health care providers are being asked to extend the models' impact beyond costs and quality of health care into what has traditionally been beyond the providers' sphere of influence: the health outcomes of the population they serve. Although health policy makers have traditionally considered nonmedical influences on health to be the domain of other state agencies and nonprofit actors, a reconsideration of how the social determinants of health can be addressed within the current health policy landscape is underway. This report summarizes and synthesizes existing evidence about the impact of investing in social services and partnerships between health care and social services, paying special attention to the innovative models for improving health outcomes and reducing health care costs.