Kaiser Permanente is partnering with social coordination platform Unite Us to launch a comprehensive health network called Thrive Local. The social health network will connect healthcare and social services providers to address the pressing social needs including housing, food, safety, utilities and more for millions of people across the United States.
In addition to being integrated into Kaiser Permanente’s Epic electronic health record (EHR) system to comprehensively serve its members, Thrive Local’s network of resources will also be made available to community-based organizations to efficiently reach the broadest possible group of those in need.
Why Build A Social Health Network?
Recent data indicates that in certain regions, up to 29% of Kaiser Permanente’s members that have the greatest medical challenges are dealing with food insecurity, and as many as 23% have concerns about housing stability – critical issues that are among the types of challenges that Thrive Local will address.
Social Health Network Features
The network will track community partner referrals and service outcomes to measure the degree to which participants’ needs are met – gathering data to continuously improve service delivery and better address community conditions for health. Kaiser Permanente is partnering with and investing in Unite Us, a social care coordination platform to build and power this transformative network.
Thrive Local Timeline & Benefits
The new Thrive Local network will start rolling out summer 2019 and is expected to be available to all of Kaiser Permanente’s 12.3 million members and the 68 million people in the communities Kaiser Permanente serves within the next three years.
These communities’ health care providers and caregivers will now have unparalleled capabilities to seamlessly match an individual’s social needs with the appropriate services from within a robust network of nonprofit, public and private resources.
Addressing Patients’ Social Needs
“Where and how people live, work and play drive more than half of health outcomes. To address total health, we, as physicians, need systems and networks that address our patients’ social needs,” said Imelda Dacones, MD, president and chief executive officer, Northwest Permanente. “Health care in this country must continue to evolve — from acute episodic care, to an integrated coordinated system focused on prevention and coordinated care management. This tool will accelerate our evolution as a sector to next-generation care delivery — a community-integrated model that connects physicians, our patients and health care systems to community resources that address our patients’ socioeconomic needs.”
