What Person the Disease Has: The Doctor’s Role in Addressing Patients’ Unmet Social Needs
This week’s post comes from Damon Francis, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of the social enterprise Health Leads. For years, the Physicians Foundation has supported Health Leads’ vision of a healthcare system that addresses patients’ basic resource needs as a standard part of quality care. The two organizations share a deep understanding of the pervasive, debilitating effects of poverty on healthcare costs, resource utilization and true drivers of health. The late Richard (Buz) Cooper, M.D., offers more on this topic in his book, Poverty and the Myths of Health Care Reform, published with support from the Foundation.