Co-creating social need platforms
Humana is invested in making sure members get the services they need to improve their health and well-being and integral to that mission is a way to inventory and respond to those needs.
In this last year, we’ve begun working with what we call SHARPs, which stands for Social Health Access Referral Platforms. There are different purveyors of these kinds of platforms, but they have similar functions. They provide a technology platform to connect key community health organizations to the most critical social health resources within their communities in a seamless, measurable way.
The association between health-related social needs and health outcomes has created opportunities for clinicians, case managers, social workers, community based organizations and staff to screen for social determinants of health, such as loneliness and food insecurity. When these needs are identified, and resources need aligned, a SHARP can be used as the next step in getting people the appropriate referral.