Chicago, IL, December 16, 2021 – Third Horizon Strategies (THS) announces the launch of The Health Equity Project – a national coalition of individuals, organizations, policy leaders, and investors seeking to transform the nation’s health care and social safety net systems to improve equitable access to care for all. Coinciding with the launch, the Health Equity Project – in partnership with THS, Algorex Health, and Pareto Intelligence – released the first three briefs in a series that establishes a comprehensive framework to evaluate opportunities to bolster health equity and address social determinants of health (SDOH) among Medicaid beneficiaries.
“The interconnectedness between health outcomes and overall health care costs and social determinants of health is undeniable,” says David Smith, CEO and Founder of Third Horizon Strategies, which is convening the Health Equity Project. “Yet, we’ve relied on an underfunded “safety net” system to solve issues of housing, poverty, food insecurity, and other factors that significantly impact health. It is time that we better leverage Medicaid and other local, state, and federal resources to yield results that benefit every member of every community.”
The series of issue brief focuses on seven distinct SDOH: Housing instability, food insecurity, activity of daily living, transportation, isolation, violence, and joblessness. Pareto Intelligence and Algorex Health served as data partners on the project, helping to perform quantitative data analyses (including health care claims data analysis and predictive data modeling to measure social risk) to assess the economic case for addressing SDOH through Medicaid benefit design.
“The data strengthens the value case for states to use Medicaid as a lever to break down traditional silos between the health system and the housing sector to meet the needs of each individual by aligning the most impactful services,” said Jacob Luria, President and Co-Founder of Algorex Health. “By doing so, states will not only reduce overall state spending, but improve the health of Medicaid beneficiaries.”
“Mitigating SDOH is a key component to achieving health equity and improving value-based outcomes,” explains Zain Jafri, Vice President of Innovation & Analytics at Pareto intelligence. “This series of briefs introduces a framework that can help states examine the multi-faceted options at their disposal. It allows them to address SDOH and develop thoughtful, innovative approaches to improving value-based outcomes for all individuals.”
The housing instability and food insecurity briefs, along with an introductory brief, are available on the Health Equity Project website here. Additional briefs will be available in early January. The series of briefs will continue to be incrementally updated, incorporating additional data, insights, and evidence.
About Third Horizon Strategies
Third Horizon Strategies (THS) is a strategic health care advisory firm focused on shaping a future system that actualizes a sustainable culture of health nationwide. The firm offers a 360º view of complex challenges across three horizons – past, present, and future– to help industry leaders and policymakers interpret signals and trends; design integrated systems; and enact changes so that all communities, families, and individuals can thrive. For more information, please visit: www.thirdhorizonstrategies.com
About the Health Equity Project
The Health Equity Project is an aggressive, national effort to reinvest in marginalized communities and redesign the nation’s two-tiered health and social service system in favor of a truly integrated, equitable health model that works for individuals, families, providers, and investors. Comprised of committed individuals, organizations, policy leaders, and investors, the group seeks to transform how citizens of the U.S. can realize health and wellbeing within systems designed with access, dignity, transparency, quality, and affordability as the primary determinants for equity. For more information, please visit www.projecthealthequity.org
About Algorex Health Technologies
Algorex Health’s market-leading cloud-based Applied Data Science Platform provides healthcare companies with pre-packaged models, curated third party data, and a secure and scalable technology platform that enables the deployment of targeted services at the individual, household, and neighborhood level. Data science-driven insights allow for the development of relevant, specific, and help-first interventions that align individuals to resources based on their specific needs and eligibility to effectively and efficiently earn member engagement and drive key financial outcomes. Learn more at https://algorexhealth.com/
About Pareto Intelligence
Pareto Intelligence is an industry-leading healthcare technology company modernizing the way health plans and providers succeed in value-based care. They deliver analytics, technology, and advisory solutions to help clients achieve complete and accurate revenue, communicate critical patient information seamlessly, activate clinical and claims data, and make more informed strategic decisions. Powered by artificial intelligence-enabled predictive models and proprietary algorithms, Pareto demystifies complex healthcare data, and delivers actionable insights to improve outcomes. To learn more about Pareto Intelligence, visit www.paretointel.com