Giving Compass' Take:

• Health executives discuss the broader goals of health systems and the importance  of addressing social determinants of health as factors for poorer outcomes.

• How do the social determinants of health play a role in a value-based approach to health care?

• Read more about how medical professionals can address the social determinants of health.

Health systems are increasingly investing in programs to address "social determinants" in healthcare like food and housing insecurity. But too often those efforts are still too fragmented to make the intended impact.

That was the message from executives from Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health and Centene, who said their own organizations have put money into these traditionally nonclinical areas of patients' lives but see a wider industry struggle to properly scale these efforts.

There needs to be a strategic shift in thinking in order to leverage the full impact of these programs, they said during a recent conference in New York City.

“We’ve done some really good work, but it was really random acts of kindness,” said Rich Roth, chief strategic innovation officer at Dignity Health. “We have now become more focused and directed and shifted that community benefit model to one of community health.”

As the healthcare industry transitions to value-based care, inclusive of risk-based payment and population health models, health systems are taking on more accountability for the health of local communities. Healthcare organizations like Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health and Centene have a number of social determinants of health initiatives, but the long-term goal is to address the root causes of hardship and poor health in their communities, the executives said.

A strategic challenge most health systems encounter is trying to build a business case showing a return on investment based on reduced cost or improved health outcomes, they said.

The broader goal, many healthcare executives say, is to address the root causes of social issues, such as unemployment and inequity in communities. Centene, a managed care organization with 14 million members, is trying to make headway in that area.

Read the full article about addressing root problems of social issues by Heather Landi at FierceHealthcare