Limited evidence on the health and financial outcomes of medical-financial partnerships (MFPs)
MFPs lack sufficient evidence to conclusively demonstrate their effectiveness in improving financial and health outcomes within healthcare settings.
What is this review about?
Poverty and financial stress have been linked to negative impacts on health, and more attention has been given to addressing financial strain as a means of improving health. As healthcare settings increasingly become a focus for poverty interventions to improve health outcomes, MFPs, or collaborations between medical facilities and financial service providers, have gained popularity. MFPs are interventions that include financial education, counseling or coaching, credit counseling or other financial services delivered in a healthcare setting. This review examined both financial and health outcomes.
What is the aim of this review?
The aim of this review was to understand the quality and extent of research on MFP interventions in the United States, as well as the effects of embedding financial services within healthcare settings on financial and health-related outcomes. This review summarizes evidence from four studies, including two randomized and two quasi-experimental studies.
What are the main findings of this review?
This review included studies that assessed the effects of MFPs on financial and health outcomes. A total of four studies were identified, with all four studies reporting at least one financial outcome and two studies reporting at least one health outcome. Most studies were conducted in a pediatric care setting. Two studies provided tax preparation services and the other two provided financial coaching or financial counseling. All studies had some important methodological weaknesses.
How has this intervention worked?
Results indicate small and non-significant effects of MFPs on financial outcomes and one study reported positive statistically significant effects on attending appointments and adhering to vaccination schedules. Due to the small number of studies, the small sample sizes, and methodological weaknesses of included studies, there is a lack of evidence of the effects of MFPs on financial and health outcomes.
What do the findings of this review mean?
The findings of this review suggest that while MFPs may hold promise for improving financial and health outcomes, there is currently insufficient robust evidence to support their effectiveness. This lack of clear evidence calls for rigorous research of MFPs in healthcare settings using RCTs and standardized outcomes, and studies that evaluate components of MFPs for their effectiveness on the outcomes desired.
How up-to-date is this review?
The review authors searched for studies up to September 2023. This Campbell Systematic Review was published in November, 2024.