Capsule Commentary on Schickedanz et al., Impact of Social Needs Navigation on Utilization Among High-Utilizers in a Large Integrated Health System: a Quasi-Experimental Study

In this prospective evaluation of a large health-related social needs screening and navigation program for predicted high utilizers of healthcare services, Schickedanz et al. estimate a small decrease in healthcare utilization that is not statistically significant, when comparing those screened to all other predicted high utilizers. However, when restricting their analyses to subgroups with census tract indicators of lower socioeconomic status or with Medicaid insurance, they estimate both clinically meaningful and statistically significant reductions in healthcare utilization. The reasons for high utilization are quite heterogeneous, so examining subgroups more likely to have the health-related social needs that the intervention is meant to address makes sense. The results of this high-quality evaluation have important implications for both research and clinical operations within healthcare systems