![]() It is important to distinguish cash benchmarking (in which a cash transfer is used as a comparison condition to study an intervention of interest) from cash transfer interventions (in which the effect of the cash transfer itself is the primary focus of the study). Thus, seeing a benefit from an intervention in a cash-benchmarked study indicates that the intervention is not simply an improvement over usual care but instead offers value added-benefits that could not be achieved solely by a cash transfer. This is particularly relevant for integrated health care and human services interventions, as the health-related social needs that these interventions seek to address are often rooted in a lack of financial means. 17 Treatment effects estimated by such a study show the benefit (if any) of the intervention, above and beyond the cash value of the resources provided. In a cash-benchmarking study, one group receives an intervention and another group receives the monetary value of the intervention as a cash transfer. An alternative is cash benchmarking, which comes from the field of developmental economics. When control groups are used at all in health care and human services integration studies, 3, 13, 15 the typical approach uses a usual-care design that compares the new program to current practice (which may be no specific intervention). We discuss important considerations for navigating closer to the promise, and away from the pitfalls, of integrating health care and human services. In this article we propose cash benchmarking 17, 18 as an appropriate study design for evaluations of interventions that integrate health care and human services. In particular, it is important to use strong study designs that can validly estimate what would have happened in the absence of the program and to avoid designs such as pre-post assessments that are subject to regression to the mean and other sources of bias. 10, 11 Although there are encouraging early results from such integration, 12 – 15 rigorous evaluation of these programs is critical. Drivers of health and health care expenditures are increasingly recognized to lie both within and outside the health care system, and integrating human services that address health-related social needs into health care may be a key mechanism to improve health. 1 – 11 Health-related social needs include food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of transportation. Health-related social needs are strongly associated with poor health outcomes, greater use of health care, and higher health care spending. Ultimately, cash benchmarking can help stakeholders navigate closer to the promise, and away from the pitfalls, of health care and human services integration. This is important because while integrating human services into health care offers potential benefits, it also comes with potential downsides-including the medicalization of social needs deemphasis of upstream societal causes of health-related social needs, such as tax policy and labor conditions and opportunity costs within the health care system, as resources are shifted to delivering social care. In this article we propose an innovative methodological approach (borrowed from developmental economics) called cash benchmarking, which can help determine when health care and human services integration is most useful. Integrating human services that address health-related social needs into health care may address these issues. The investigation is ongoing at the time of this report.Health-related social needs, which include food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of transportation, are strongly associated with poor health outcomes, more health care use, and higher health care spending. Police say a preliminary investigation shows speed and drugs and alcohol were not factors in the crash. The driver of the van was not injured in the crash. ![]() Our thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones as they grieve this terrible loss,” Benchmark officials said in a statement. ![]() At this time, police are conducting an investigation and we are fully cooperating with them in their efforts to obtain more information about this tragedy. “Benchmark Human Services is deeply saddened by the loss of someone who was in our services for a very long time. Benchmark officials say the victim was a longtime client. Miller of Richmond, was struck by a 15 passenger van, driven by a Benchmark employee. ![]() 7, officers were called to a fatal crash in the 800 block of Mendelson Drive, near Benchmark Human Services. The Richmond Police Department says around 4 p.m. ![]() (WPTA) - A van belonging to a Fort Wayne-based company was involved in a deadly accident in eastern Indiana over the weekend, police say. ![]()
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