Social Determinants of Health Protocol
Last update: Sept. 30, 2020
Effective Oct. 1, 2020, providers are encouraged to capture Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), as defined below, by utilizing SDoH ICD-10 diagnostic code(s) (or successor diagnostic codes) in the medical record.
Social Determinants of Health
SDoH are non-clinical societal and environmental factors that create a barrier to health and wellness. These are conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. They include factors like:
- Access to health care and healthy food
- Literacy and health education
- Employment and socioeconomic status
- Physical environment and housing concerns
- Social support
- Foster care circumstances
To strengthen UnitedHealthcare’s ability to work together with healthcare providers to help more members, utilizing SDoH codes will allow health care providers and UnitedHealthcare to:
- Collect data for quality improvement
- Identify solutions that align more closely with patients’ needs
- Advance health equity
ICD-10 Coding Guidance
Health care providers are strongly encouraged to routinely screen, document and submit the appropriate ICD-10 code(s). Please use the ICD-10 Codes when submitting a claim for a member affected by any of the SDoH.
To Access SDOH Full Protocol
The full Social Determinants of Health Protocol can be found at UHCprovider.com > Policies and Protocols > Additional Resources > Protocols > Social Determinants of Health Protocol