Validation of an Electronic Health Record Algorithm for Identifying Housing‐Related Needs in a Safety‐Net Health System
Pragmatic EHR algorithms leveraging structured data elements tailored to local context present an accessible, efficient method for health systems to identify patients with housing-related needs. This is the first study to validate such an algorithm in a safety-net setting; we found it had moderate sensitivity and high specificity. The algorithm identified more housing-related needs than diagnostic codes alone, demonstrating the value of integrated clinical and administrative data. Further algorithm improvements require changes to HRSN screening and EHR documentation.
Authors
- Michael D. Stein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2466-5192)
- Nicole C. McCann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4916-4319)
- Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1789-1009)
- Erin M. Ashe
- Tyler Pauly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9500-9267)
- Heather Hsu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5863-1804)
- Paul Shafer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0654-5821)
- Melissa Hofman
- Youssef Younossi
Institutions
- Boston University (US)
- Boston Medical Center (US)
- Boston Children's Museum (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Health Services Research
- Published
- 2025-12-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.70076
- Primary Topic
- Electronic Health Records Systems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00