• Deepak Palakshappa, David P Miller, and Gary E Rosenthal.
• Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157. Email: dpalaksh@wakehealth.edu.
• Am J Manag Care. 2020 Jan 1; 26 (1): e4-e6.

AbstractThe learning health system (LHS) has gained traction as a powerful framework for improving the cost and quality of healthcare. The goal of an LHS is to systematically integrate internal data and experience with external evidence so patients receive higher-quality, safer, and more efficient care. However, if the goal of an LHS is to improve health, as well as healthcare, it must account for and mitigate the negative impact of social and economic factors on health, known as the social determinants of health. In this paper, we discuss the critical role the LHS can play in addressing patients' social risk factors. We also discuss how integrating data on the social determinants and activities to reduce patients' social risk factors could advance the mission of the LHS to enhance patient engagement, improve the delivery of personalized care, and more accurately evaluate the effectiveness of care. Without the collection and integration of data on the social determinants of health, the LHS may fail to reach its full potential to improve health and healthcare.

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