Understanding Market Dynamics for SDOH Technology Platform Adoption

In the three months since we published our Buyer’s Guide report for social innovation technology, we’ve been engaging in conversations with a variety of health systems, technology vendors, and investors who are interested in understanding more about the emerging dynamics of technology adoption to address social determinants of health.

To recap some high-level observations: This space is immature and unstructured compared to traditional healthIT and digital health markets, in large part because of the lingering uncertainty around reimbursement (a.k.a revenue for vendors). More broadly however, it’s becoming clear that payment aside, the way health systems are approaching social determinants involves a whole lot more than technology.

Tools for screening and referrals may be necessary but not sufficient to address unmet social needs of a community; at the system level this requires forging partnerships with community-based organizations, developing internal communication, securing internal buy-in from leadership as well as external resources from grants or regional programs, and a whole lot more.

So where does that leave SDOH technology vendors today? Here are a few more observations about this fast-moving space based on the ongoing conversations and developments that have bubbled…