NAMES IN THE NEWS

The Joint Commission Joins Sync for Social Needs Coalition

OCTOBER 2022

The Joint Commission in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, has joined the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health’s Sync for Social Needs coalition, which brings together healthcare organizations and healthcare technology companies that integrate nutrition information within a patient’s electronic health record via a standardized, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based approach, according to a release.

The social determinants of health (SDOH), the conditions in the environments where people live, learn, work and play, can limit an individual’s access to nutritious foods. Americans who lack access to nutritious food are disproportionately low-income, Black or Hispanic, or live in rural areas, according to the release. Standardizing SDOH data collection and sharing is a crucial step in understanding and addressing the nature and extent of the problem at hand.

“Health equity is among The Joint Commission’s highest priorities," said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, president and chief executive officer of The Joint Commission, in the release. "By standardizing the collection and sharing of social determinants of health data, clinicians can be better prepared to tailor a patient’s care to their environment, access and abilities. The Joint Commission looks forward to collaborating with some of the United States’ leading healthcare organizations to address the social determinants of health that contribute to food insecurity.”

Other member organizations of the Sync for Social Needs coalition include the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Quality Forum, National Committee for Quality Assurance, HL7 International, Epic, Oracle-Cerner, Rush University System for Health, Tufts Medicine, Riverside Health System, SCAN Health Plan, Sanford Health, SSM Health, Higi, BayCare, Geisinger, Meditech, FindHelp, WellSky, Unite Us, Graphite Health, Saffron Labs and XanthosHealth, according to the release.

Furthering its commitment to health equity, The Joint Commission recently released new and revised requirements to reduce healthcare disparities that will go into effect on January 1, 2023.