Experts to address how to rapidly advance health equity to improve community health

CHICAGO – August 9, 2022 – The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), a global nonprofit representing professionals who work with health data for more than one billion patient visits each year, announced the sponsorship of Modern Healthcare's Social Determinants of Health Symposium. The virtual all-day event, taking place August 11, 2022, will highlight how investments in the areas of public policy, action, community, and technology can ultimately help evolve social determinants of health (SDOH) initiatives to achieve health equity and a healthier bottom line. SDOH are the economic and social conditions that influence the health and quality of life of individuals and populations.

The symposium is bringing together providers, payers, and all entities along the continuum of care to address the systemic inequities that prevent members of our communities from experiencing good health. Experts will discuss challenges and successes, as well as cover best practices and strategies to more rapidly and effectively advance the long-term goal of improving community health, enhancing well-being, and building inclusive and sustainable local economies. 

There is a sense of urgency to address and make meaningful changes in the way SDOH is collected, accessed, shared, and used to strengthen clinical decision-making and improve health outcomes, according to Lauren Riplinger, JD, AHIMA vice president of policy and government affairs.

“The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed disparities across the US healthcare system and the importance of understanding social determinants of health,” Riplinger said. “At the height of the pandemic, AHIMA released a new policy statement recognizing the imminent need to work with the government to improve data collection, access, and sharing of SDOH.”

AHIMA also released a white paper that explores the strategies and best practices that forward-thinking healthcare organizations use to improve the data governance of underlying SDOH data initiatives.

All registrants will receive access to an exclusive online screening of The Color of Care: Not All Healthcare is Created Equal. Produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, this documentary film highlights how people of color suffer systematically substandard healthcare.

Information to register for the symposium can be found here.

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About AHIMA
AHIMA is a global nonprofit association of health information (HI) professionals. AHIMA represents professionals who work with health data for more than one billion patient visits each year. AHIMA’s mission of empowering people to impact health^® drives our members and credentialed HI professionals to ensure that health information is accurate, complete, and available to patients and providers. Our leaders work at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business, and are found in data integrity and information privacy job functions worldwide.