FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shelly Spiro
703-599-5051; shelly@PharmacyHIT.org
August 2, 2023
PHIT Publishes “Guidance Document for Clinical Documentation of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Data for Pharmacists”
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia – The Pharmacy HIT Collaborative (PHIT) announces the publication of a guidance document for pharmacists on documenting social determinants of health (SDOH) data in a standardized way. Written by PHIT’s Professional Service Documentation and Coding Workgroup, the document provides pharmacists with further guidance about the impact of SDOH on their patients and the importance of pharmacists using their clinical documentation systems to capture SDOH data.
“By using their clinical documentation systems to capture SDOH and understanding the data collected, pharmacists will be able to identify where health disparities occur and help mitigate health inequities their patients may be experiencing,” says Shelly Spiro, PHIT executive director. Health IT is one tool that supports a more interoperable health care system for sharing integrated health care data among health care providers.
PHIT’s “Guidance Document for Clinical Documentation of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Data for Pharmacists” aligns with the strategic objectives of the federal government’s “2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan” to mitigate many health care challenges facing the U.S. today and address SDOH in underserved populations.
The guidance document provides discussion topics on SDOH related to health disparities and health equity, use cases for pharmacy settings, coding claims and encounters for payer programs, and quality measurement. It also advocates for SDOH awareness and encourages the use of SDOH standardized terminology and coding, especially for promoting health disparities research among different populations.
About the Pharmacy HIT Collaborative
The Pharmacy HIT Collaborative comprises the major national pharmacy associations, representing 250,000 members, including those in pharmacy education and accreditation. The Collaborative’s membership is composed of the key national pharmacy associations involved in health information technology (HIT), the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, and 13 associate members encompassing e-prescribing, health information networks, transaction processing networks, pharmacy companies, system vendors, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and other organizations that support pharmacists’ services. For additional information, visit http://www.pharmacyhit.org/.