Spotlight: How Unite Us Is Taking Control Back

Taking Control of Societal Factors

Healthcare is so much more than we realize. Around the globe, people have billions and billions of small but crucial details that affect how they receive and follow through with their care. Say that I go to the doctor for a specific condition, and this doctor tells me that a particular medication and a long-term diet change will help fix me up. When I leave that office, that doctor has no control over whether I go on that diet. In fact, that doctor doesn't even have control over whether I go to the pharmacy and actually pick up the prescription. I could get the greatest advice and care in the world, but other factors of my life can suddenly throw a wrench into my care plan. Do I have enough money to pay for that particular prescription? Is my housing stable? Would I have to choose between a meal and the medicine? These factors are extremely difficult to plan for and are far from the doctors’ control. It is good, then, that vendors like Unite Us are so committed to the idea of helping the whole person be well and taking stock of those social determinants of health (SDOH). The recent Unite Us Emerging Technology Spotlight highlights the vendor’s efforts to create a robust network of health and social services and aims to get people talking about this new and emerging space that is such a big part of people’s overall health.

How Unite Us Unites Us

Before the emergence of Unite Us and vendors like them, tracking a patient’s care with all of the social determinants of health around them was a big ask. The problem up until now has been dancing around the logistics of putting health and social resources into a network. Those sources can then give a referral that can be tracked through that network, and then other caregivers along the continuum can check in and see how a patient is doing with things like vocational training, housing, or transportation. That is where Unite Us has excelled. Having that electronic record of all of these factors and being able to track them through the system has made an enormous difference. A great network like the one that Unite Us has been providing allows providers to see what is effective for each individual and whether that person is getting the help that he or she needs to get to the next step of his or her care.

In addition, Unite Us has been praised by many customers concerning their service and relationships. Unite Us seems to have a leg up on other SDOH vendors in terms of customer satisfaction, training, and proactive service. 

Impressive Outcomes

The services and technology provided by Unite Us really seem to be resonating with the organizations and CBOs that they work with. Startlingly, 50% of customers said that they saw outcomes immediately, and 30% said that they saw outcomes within six months or less. Unite Us clearly has a system that works, as these kinds of tangible outcomes don’t just appear out of the blue. Unite Us is taking this SDOH world, which was previously based in pens, paper, and phone calls, and making it electronic.

What is even more interesting is an unexpected outcome that many customers had with Unite Us. These customers shared with us that they have had rejuvenated community partnerships as an outcome of Unite Us, and that is not something we see with every vendor. Many of these customers have been working with their communities for a long time, but now, with this platform, things are rejuvenated and lively. The Unite Us platform has given these providers the ability to rally people behind the cause of healthcare and connectedness, and that is incredible.

What’s Next?

The Unite Us platform is plagued by the issues of its market. Integration is a continued issue, and the price tag has been called out too. But the users are in love with what they're getting. They want it to tie into whatever EMR they have at their organization, and the demand for the capability that Unite Us provides doesn’t stop there. Customers are saying that this platform is a difference maker, and they want to see it everywhere.

Unite Us is built on a really solid platform of state-of-the-art, scalable technology, and it looks like it's going to be the right vehicle for the long haul. I think this is a company that will be around for a long time. The users are really saying that they love what they are getting from the platform, and they want more of it. Unite Us has created a robust network that finally allows providers to gain some more control in healthcare and provide the care that their patients need, regardless of circumstance. Unite Us has many fans now who are craving more, and I’d say that that is pretty great. To learn more, read KLAS’ recent Unite Us Emerging Technology Spotlight.


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