Health Hot Spots: Mapping Hospital Costs and Social Determinants of Health

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and hospitals are facing additional requirements and financial rewards for improving population health. Therefore, ACOs and hospitals will need tools to understand the relationship between their patients and social determinants and health. We demonstrate the use of hot spotting for identifying geographical sources of high hospital costs and examining links between social determinants of health and these high-cost areas, known as hot spots. In 2012, using hospital data, we generated maps of inpatient costs from 2011 throughout New Haven and within an example neighborhood, Dixwell. We defined hot spots as addresses where costs were in the top 25%. We also overlaid data on concerns and assets in the community. Finally, we calculated the number of concerns and assets that fall within the 250 and 500 ft radii of the defined hot spots. We found that 34 addresses in Dixwell accounted for 70% of total costs for Dixwell. Hot spotting is a straightforward, approachable, and easily understood method for ACOs and hospitals to begin to address population health.