Social Drivers of Health
What are Social Drivers of Health?
Social Drivers of Health (SDoH), or social needs, are non-clinical, societal, and environmental conditions which prevent individuals from accessing proper health care. This can include difficulties with:
- Housing access and safety
- Health care
- Employment
- Nutrition, social and behavioral support
- Transportation
- Technology and education
Elements of Social Drivers of Health
Protocol
The SDoH protocol requires those who provide services to UnitedHealthcare members, to use ICD-10 (or successor diagnostic codes) to capture SDoH information.
Z-codes
Z-codes are part of the ICD-10 code list. We require you to routinely screen and submit the appropriate Z55 through Z65 ICD-10 code(s) documentation when a patient has social needs.
Equitable care, better health
Show your support this Minority Health Month by taking our Empathy: Social Care training.
This training will equip you with the knowledge and skills to help enhance your awareness into social care needs.
Social Drivers of Health Training and Education
Free CME Credit Courses
Optum Behavioral Health
You have opportunities to receive CME credits through our partnership with OptumHealth Education.
Getting Started with UnitedHealthcare
Discover how you can use the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal for all of your online services, including claims, eligibility, prior authorization, referrals and SDoH Z-codes.
Social Drivers of Health resources
UnitedHealthcare resources
- PATH Reference Guide
- PCOR Patient Care Opportunity Report training
National resources
- Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Quality Improvement and Interventions
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services IMPROVING THE COLLECTION OF Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Data with ICD-10-CM Z Codes (cms.gov)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021 CDC Research on Social Determinants
- Plan4Health–An American Planning Association Project
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Healthy People 2030
- View the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Standards for SDOH
- Advisory Board-Listen to Podcasts and view Daily Briefings along with the SDOH Cheat Sheet
- Link to updated SDOH Codes and Domains Gravity Project
- NCQA / Population Health Standard Health Equity Pilot
- 2021 Disparities Report
- CMS Using Z Codes Infographic