From awareness to action: Unlocking the financial value of SDOH 

Social determinants of health (SDOH) have become one of healthcare’s biggest strategic priorities, but many organizations still struggle with how to operationalize social risk data in a measurable, scalable way. 

In a recent HIMSSTV interview series, MedeAnalytics Chief Operating Officer Saleem Tahir joined Healthcare Finance News Executive Editor Susan Morse to discuss how healthcare organizations can move beyond SDOH awareness and turn social risk insights into meaningful clinical and financial outcomes. 

The conversations focused on two critical themes: 

• How organizations can operationalize SDOH initiatives through better measurement and analytics 

• How targeted SDOH strategies can generate measurable cost savings 

The interviews highlighted a growing reality across healthcare: SDOH is no longer simply a community health initiative. It is becoming a core business and value-based care strategy. 

Why Many SDOH Programs Stall 

According to Tahir, one of the biggest mistakes organizations make is rushing into interventions before establishing a clear measurement framework. 

“Everyone agrees that social determinants matter,” Tahir explained. “But operationalizing that effectively is where many organizations still struggle.” 

Healthcare organizations often want to move quickly by launching programs or community partnerships. But without understanding where social risk is driving costs, utilization, or quality gaps, it becomes difficult to prioritize investments or scale successful initiatives. 

Tahir emphasized that organizations first need to identify: 

• Which populations are most affected by social risk 

• Where SDOH is contributing to higher costs and poorer outcomes 

• Which interventions are likely to have the greatest impact 

That process starts with data integration. Rather than relying solely on claims data, organizations should combine: 

• Claims data 

• Social risk data 

• Clinical data, including pharmacy and lab information 

When integrated effectively, these data sources create a more complete picture of patient populations and reveal risk patterns that may otherwise remain hidden. 

Importantly, Tahir noted that organizations do not need massive budgets to begin operationalizing SDOH. Some interventions can be relatively simple. Transportation barriers, for example, may be addressed through modest support programs that help patients access appointments and medications consistently. Other challenges, such as housing instability, may require broader long-term partnerships. The key is recognizing there are actionable signals in the data. 

Connecting SDOH to Measurable Savings 

The second HIMSSTV discussion focused on a question healthcare leaders increasingly ask: Can SDOH initiatives deliver measurable financial return? 

Tahir shared an example involving a collaboration between MedeAnalytics, Socially Determined, and Mathematica that helped a health plan identify more than $25 million in potential savings opportunities. 

The initiative combined: 

• Social risk intelligence from Socially Determined 

• Enterprise analytics from MedeAnalytics 

• Actuarial validation from Mathematica 

The health plan integrated social risk, claims, pharmacy, and clinical datasets to create a comprehensive population view. That integrated approach helped identify five high-impact cohorts representing substantial savings opportunities tied directly to SDOH-informed interventions. 

One of the most important findings was that clinically similar patients often experienced very different cost trajectories because of non-clinical factors. For example, transportation access, food insecurity, and other social barriers frequently influenced whether members could follow treatment plans, access preventive care, or manage chronic conditions effectively. 

By layering SDOH insights into traditional analytics, organizations can move beyond broad population management strategies and create more targeted, effective interventions. 

SDOH Is Becoming a Strategic Imperative 

As organizations continue balancing rising costs, quality performance, and value-based care requirements, leaders increasingly need actionable insights, not just awareness. 

That means successful SDOH strategies require: 

• Reliable measurement frameworks 

• Integrated data environments 

• Financially defensible analytics 

• Clear prioritization strategies 

For healthcare organizations looking to improve outcomes while managing costs, the ability to operationalize SDOH data is quickly becoming a competitive differentiator. 

The key takeaway from Tahir’s conversations with Susan Morse is clear: organizations that begin with measurement, integrate the correct data sources, and focus on actionable insights are better positioned to improve financial and clinical performance. 

Watch Part 1 and Part 2 HIMSSTV interview series featuring Saleem Tahir and Susan Morse to learn more about how healthcare organizations are turning SDOH insights into measurable outcomes and cost savings.