Background: Hospitals’ utilization of social determinants of health data represents an important strategy for improving patient outcomes and reducing 30-day readmissions. Purpose: Using a contingency theory lens, this study investigated the relationship between hospitals’ use of social needs data (SND) and 30-day readmission rates for conditions targeted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Readmission Reduction Program. Methodology/Approach: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted using data from general and surgical acute care hospitals ( n =1,350). Regression models were used to examine associations between SND usage and 30-day readmission rates. Findings: Hospitals using SND for referrals to social service organizations experienced a 0.46-point decrease in heart failure readmissions ( p <.001). Population health analytics use was associated with a 0.13-point decrease in hospital-wide readmissions ( p <.05). Complete utilization of SND use was associated with a 0.30-point decrease in COPD ( p <.05) and a 0.33-point decrease in pneumonia readmissions ( p <.05). Conclusions: The effectiveness of SND strategies varies significantly based on hospital characteristics, regional factors, and clinical conditions, supporting contingency theory’s premise that performance depends on alignment between strategies and contextual factors. Practice Implications: Rather than advocating for uniform activities, our results suggest that hospital administrators should seek to achieve an optimal fit between the social needs identified in their communities and their specific organizational and environmental circumstances.
Hamadi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.