Bridging the Gap: Multidisciplinary Decision Making to Address Systemic Barriers in Cardiovascular Care

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines how social determinants of health contribute to inequities in cardiovascular outcomes and evaluates strategies for delivering equity-centered cardiovascular care across clinical, community, and policy settings. RECENT FINDINGS: Socioeconomic status, education, housing, food security, transportation, and insurance status significantly shape cardiovascular risk and care delivery. Multidisciplinary approaches integrating medical care with social support and community partnerships demonstrate promise in addressing these barriers. The Heart Team model, shared decision making, and quality improvement frameworks align clinical care with patient context. Evidence-based interventions including community-based programs, mobile health services, transportation assistance, and digital health tools improve cardiovascular access and outcomes among underserved populations. Addressing social and structural barriers is essential for reducing preventable cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Future priorities include standardizing social risk data collection, expanding multidisciplinary care reimbursement, implementing equity-centered trial designs, and developing digital infrastructure supporting integrated care delivery.