About The Lab

About
The Lab

About the Lab
About theLab

The Social Needs Investment Lab

A partnership to provide health equity insights
The Social Needs Investment LabThe Social Needs Investment Lab
The Social Needs Investment Lab: A partnership to provide actionable health equity insights (The Lab) is a collaboration between Elevance Health and HealthBegins to provide a diverse array of healthcare stakeholders with actionable insights and tools to make sense of evidence related to health equity and health-related social needs investments.
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The Social Needs Investment Lab (The Lab) takes a unique approach to improving population health outcomes by providing healthcare and community leaders with evidence-based insights into health equity and social needs investments. The initiative aims to enhance investments in interventions and solutions that address and mitigate the impact of unmet social needs—which are caused by upstream social, institutional, or structural causes that often drive poorer health outcomes and health disparities.

Insights will be publicly shared via an online curated evidence assessment library which will host items such as health-related social needs evidence assessments, case studies, and forums to facilitate dialogue about health equity and social needs investments. The Lab is not just a resource, it’s a catalyst for change.
The Lab is not just a resource, it’s a catalyst for change.
The Social Needs Investment Lab

Why the Lab?

Why the LabWhy the Lab
The Social Needs Investment Lab

Who should use the Social Needs Investment Lab?

This collaborative platform is for everyone with an interest in improving individual and community health through collectively addressing the social drivers of health. For example:
Managed care organizations
Healthcare systems
Employers
Community-based organizations
Social service providers

What’s coming next?

In January 2025, we’ll unveil the full site: a comprehensive resource hub that will include tools and forums to help address health-related social needs and health inequities. Stay tuned!
What is coming next
Evidence Assessment Library Website Pic

About the Evidence Assessment Library

Explore the Evidence Assessment LibraryExplore the LIBRARY
The Lab’s Evidence Assessment Library offers a collection of evidence assessments reviewing health-related social needs interventions. Each assessment highlights a specific intervention. Users can filter assessments by social need category, payer type, age group, and more to access relevant insights. Evidence assessments were prioritized that highlight:
A specific health-related social need
Actionable, evidence-based insights for parties considering taking the next step in investment and implementation for relevant populations like Medicaid, Medicare, Dual-Enrolled, or Commercial members
Interventions requested by stakeholders
About the Evidence Assessment Library
Evidence Assessment Library

Evidence Assessment Methodology

Inclusion Criteria
The Evidence Assessment Library includes a broad range of data sources, including peer-reviewed literature, government, and gray literature (white papers).

Study Inclusion Criteria

Each Evidence Assessment includes a broad range of data sources, including peer-reviewed literature, government organizations, and gray literature (white papers).
Studies are evaluated for inclusion based on the following criteria:
1
Recent Studies Only
Studies are prioritized for inclusion if they are published after 2017. In some cases, earlier studies may be included, either because they are seminal finding or because the topic has a limited body of research.
2
U.S. or Similar Populations
Focused on populations residing in the United States or in a country with similar populations or health needs.
3
Clear Population Definition
Clearly defines the population served, including socio-demographics and geography.
4
Intervention Description
Describes the intervention, including its setting, personnel, and key components.
5
Includes Evaluative Data
Includes evaluative data/components (e.g., trials, cost-effectiveness studies).
6
Outcome Measurement
Measures outcomes such as social, economic, healthcare, or health results relevant to payers and healthcare organizations.

Outcomes and Strength of Evidence

Outcomes are synthesized into three main categories:
Healthcare cost, utilization & value
Outcomes are related to the cost of healthcare services (for example: total cost), the utilization of healthcare services, financial returns or economic value.
Health
Outcomes that are measured using a diagnostic clinical metric such as body mass index (BMI) or Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).
Social
Non-clinical factors that impact an individual’s health and social wellbeing. Examples include physical activity, nutrition security and quality, housing quality, housing stability and transportation security.
Evidence Assessment Library

The synthesis of the assessment is based on the following rubric.

Each assessment synthesizes the strength of the evidence in the above categories based on the following rubric.
Strong
Evidence

There is strong evidence that the intervention will produce the intended outcomes.

  • At least one well-conducted systematic review or meta-analysis (including two or more large, randomized trials) showing a significant and clinically meaningful health effect, and
  • Consistent findings of health effects from other studies (cohort, case-control, and other designs).
Sufficient
Evidence

There is sufficient evidence that the intervention will produce the intended outcomes.

  • At least one well-conducted systematic review or meta-analysis (including two or more large, randomized trials) showing a significant and clinically meaningful health effect, but inconsistent findings in other studies; or
  • Consistent findings from at least three non-randomized control trial studies (cohorts, practical trials, analysis of secondary data); or
  • A single, sufficiently large well-conducted randomized controlled trial demonstrating clinically meaningful health effect and consistent evidence from other studies; or
  • Multiple expert opinions/government agencies supporting the intervention.
More Evidence Needed
or Mixed Evidence

There is insufficient evidence that the intervention will produce the intended outcomes, however the results may indicate potential impact.

  • Lack of demonstration of improved health outcomes based on any of the following: (a) a systematic review or meta-analysis; (b) a large randomized controlled trial; (c) consistent positive results from multiple studies in high-quality journals; or (d) multiple expert opinions or government agencies supporting the intervention.
  • An insufficient evidence rating does not mean there is no evidence, or that the intervention is unsafe or ineffective.
  • In many cases, there is a need for more research or longer-term follow-up.
Evidence Assessment Library

Review Process and Updating

Each evidence assessment shows its last update date and is reviewed regularly for accuracy and relevance. We invite users to complete our Contact Us form to:
Submit new data including published and unpublished studies.
Suggest revisions and improvements such as important policy changes or context.
Or, request new topics.
Your submissions will be reviewed by the evidence assessment team and a team member will respond with the follow-up actions from your outreach. We appreciate your partnership in ensuring this is a useful resource!
Health Begins
About HealthBegins
HealthBegins is a national mission-driven strategy and implementation firm that helps Medicaid-managed care plans, health systems, and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) meet health care equity and social needs goals and achieve long-term impact for people and communities harmed by societal practices. With 18 employees, HealthBegins is a for-profit, mission-driven social enterprise incorporated as an LLC, and is a nationally certified minority business enterprise (MBE) based in California.
As a nationally-recognized expert and pioneer in developing and scaling equity-focused upstream care models and partnerships, HealthBegins helps healthcare leaders and team improve patient outcomes, advance equity, and address the social and structural drivers of health equity with comprehensive strategies, bold initiatives, and equity-focused improvement coaching and campaigns. Our team of experts has extensive experience working with healthcare providers, including federally-qualified community health centers, independent practices, physician groups, public hospitals, and large health systems, to embed and advance racial health equity in primary care, integrate health and social care, develop equitable clinical-community partnerships, address individual social needs, and support multi-level and multi-sector efforts to improve social and structural drivers of health equity.
About Elevance Health, Inc.
Elevance Health is a lifetime, trusted health partner whose purpose is to improve the health of humanity. The company supports consumers, families, and communities across the entire healthcare journey – connecting them to the care, support, and resources they need to lead better lives. Elevance Health’s companies serve over 113 million consumers through a diverse portfolio of industry-leading medical, pharmacy, behavioral, clinical, and complex care solutions. For more information, please visit  www.elevancehealth.com or follow us @ElevanceHealth on X and Elevance Health on LinkedIn.
Elevance Health

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