4 ways hybrid care increases care access and addresses SDOH

This is the first in a series of blogs exploring the connection between hybrid care, SDOH and health equity.

More than 80% of counties across the United States are in healthcare deserts that lack proper access to services and providers that residents need to maintain their health. This shortage of healthcare providers affects more than one-third of the country’s population.  
Healthcare access is one of five key social determinants of health (SDOH) that can profoundly impact someone’s overall health and wellbeing. The other domains of economic stability, education access, neighborhood and built environment and social and community context also play a role in health equity, meaning individuals are better positioned to reach their full health potential when they have safe and healthy environments, conditions and resources.  
Without adequate access to quality care, individuals may exacerbate their current health conditions, face higher rates of preventable illnesses and disease, greater health inequity and, ultimately, a diminished quality of life with poor health outcomes. 

Hybrid care, a healthcare delivery model that integrates in-person, virtual and digital care, can play a critical role in helping an organization expand access to care—especially in healthcare deserts. Here are four ways hybrid care can boost access and ultimately improve health equity and outcomes: 

1. Removes geography as a barrier to care by allowing providers to connect with patients and members virtually.

1. Consumers can select a provider who speaks their preferred language. Remote translators provide more options so patients who don’t speak English or do so as a second language can still have a successful healthcare interaction.

1. Ongoing support before, after and between in-person or virtual visits using digital companions. This technology leverages intelligent, personalized conversations to help individuals monitor and manage conditions.

1. Increased mental health support to address the severe lack of behavioral healthcare as nearly half of Americans live in a behavioral health workforce shortage area. This can be delivered virtually with a remote mental health provider or through digital behavioral health programs that use cognitive behavioral therapy-based content and interactive tools. 
   Hybrid care is effective in expanding healthcare services into underserved areas. However, as providers consider their strategies around access and SDOH, they must factor in challenges beyond physical access, such as the lack of broadband infrastructure. It’s estimated that up to 24% of Americans lack broadband connection to the internet, which is a barrier to using digital health technology. 

Ensuring reliable internet access is essential for delivering hybrid care. Many leading healthcare organizations are addressing challenges around broadband access and technical literacy. For example, Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) in Flagstaff, Arizona, serves some of the nation’s most rural and medically at-risk populations. The provider partnered with a telecommunications company to use a wireless connection typically used for first responders to power virtual visits on tablets. 

To learn how NAH successfully delivers hybrid care to patients across a challenging and dispersed geography and how to fulfill your organization’s SDOH goals, read our eBook, “Three ways to enhance your SDOH strategy through hybrid care.”