Understanding and addressing social factors that affect health outcomes can improve care and promote health equity, according to a new position paper from the American College of Physicians (ACP). The paper was drafted by the Health and Public Policy Committee of the ACP, and offers the following policy recommendations:

• ACP supports increased efforts to evaluate and implement public policy interventions with the goal of reducing socioeconomic inequalities that have a negative impact on health.
• ACP recommends that social determinants of health and the underlying individual, community, and systemic issues related to health inequities be integrated into medical education at all levels.
• ACP supports increased interprofessional communication and collaborative models that encourage a team-based approach to treating patients at risk to be negatively affected by social determinants of health.
• ACP supports the adequate and efficient funding of federal, state, tribal, and local agencies in their efforts to address social determinants of health.
• ACP supports increased research into the causes, effects, prevention, and dissemination of information about social determinants of health.
• ACP recommends policymakers adopt a “health in all policies” approach and supports the integration of health considerations into community planning decisions through the use of health impact assessments.
• ACP recommends development of best practices for utilizing electronic health record (EHR) systems as a tool to improve individual and population health without adding to the administrative burden on physicians.
• ACP recommends adjusting quality payment models and performance measurement assessments to reflect the increased risk associated with caring for disadvantaged patient populations.
• ACP recommends increased screening and collection of social determinants of health data to aid in health impact assessments and support evidence-driven decision making.