Tackling social determinants of health: ComEd Heal program
There are many factors that impact a person’s health beyond traditional medical care. Known as social determinants of health, these can include financial hardship, living arrangements, access to healthy food and transportation, and other barriers. Since 2016, ComEd and Advocate Aurora Health have partnered to address these issues.
Through ComEd’s Heal program, our care management team helps identify patients who may be eligible to receive a grant of up to $500 to sustain utility services through ComEd. These are patients who have experienced an unforeseen extended stay in the hospital or other outpatient setting, resulting in financial hardship with medical expenses, loss of income or a combination of both. Advocate Aurora is one of the leading health systems identifying these patients. Our care managers meet with them to provide support and discuss any barriers to their care.
Together with ComEd, we’re helping more patients live well. Since 2018, we have assisted nearly 1,500 Advocate patients to save more than $625,000 in avoidable medical costs.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.