Abstract Introduction Assessing and addressing health-related social needs is critical to optimize outcomes, including hospital follow-up, among persons with COPD exacerbations. While the link between unmet social needs and missed primary care appointments is established, little is known about their impact on Pulmonology no-show rates. We aimed to evaluate the association between social needs and post discharge follow-up within an integrated delivery network (IDN) in Bronx County, NY. Methods Using electronic health record data, we identified adults admitted with COPD exacerbations between September 2023 and August 2025 with social needs screens completed during hospitalization. Patients were included if they were discharged home with an appointment scheduled with a Pulmonologist within the IDN. 14-day and 30-day appointment attendance was captured, and no-show rates were compared by social needs screen results. Results There were 513 patients who met criteria. The mean age was 71 years, 53.7% were female, 40.9% were Black, 17.7% were White and 39.1% were Hispanic. The prevalence of positive screen results was 26.5% with an average of 1 social needs per positive screen. The most identified needs were housing (71.8%), transport to appointments (37.7%), and Money for food (29.6%). Within 14 days of discharge the Pulmonologist appointment attendance rate was 63.8% and the odds of completing the 14-day visit were slightly lower for patients with a positive SDOH screen compared to those with a negative SDOH screen 0.74 (95% CI 0.40 - 1.35). Within 30 days, the attendance rate was 64.4% and odds of completing the 30-day visit were slightly lower for patients with a +ve SDOH screen compared to those with a negative SDOH screen 0.89 (95% CI 0.58 - 1.37). Conclusion Although results did not reach statistical significance, there was a consistent trend toward lower follow-up rates among patients with identified social needs. These findings suggest that social needs may play a role in post-discharge engagement. Further health services research is warranted to explore strategies for addressing these barriers during hospitalization. This abstract is funded by: None
Chowdhary et al. (Fri,) studied this question.