Enabling Technologies in Community Health Centers: Overcoming Barriers to Address Social Determinants of Health in Care-Managed Patients

Study Background

Addressing social determinants of health (SDOH)—the contextual drivers such as food insecurity, housing instability, and transportation challenges—is crucial for improving health outcomes, particularly among high-risk patients in community settings. Care management programs in community health centers (CHCs) are increasingly tasked with identifying and mitigating these social needs to reduce healthcare disparities and promote holistic care. Electronic health records (EHRs), enhanced with integrated care management modules, have the potential to support these efforts by facilitating systematic screening, referral-making, and follow-up coordination.

Despite the promise of these “enabling technologies,” there is limited knowledge regarding their adoption and effective use among care management staff in CHCs, settings that often face resource constraints. Understanding the facilitators and barriers to technology adoption is critical to inform implementation strategies that can optimize care coordination addressing SDOH.