As we look back over the last few years and reorient our perspective to the future of health care in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one lesson is clear. Many individuals, families, and communities will continue to experience health disparities as their true needs and barriers to achieving optimal health are left hidden by inadequate sociodemographic and social determinants of health (SDOH) data vital to drive solutions. As the largest payer for health care in the United States, CMS recognizes it must set the bar for meaningful health equity data collection and use across the health care system and is, for the first time making meaningful plans for transparency, accountability, and improvements to allow for data to better inform and shape policies across CMS programs.
