Return on investment of community health workers in the United States: a systematic review

Authors: Muhammed Rashid, Max Fu, Pattranit Jitareewong, Jeong-Yeon Cho, Richard E Nelson, Rachel M Ceballos, Surasak Saokaew, Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk

This review looked at studies in the United States that assessed whether community health worker programs save money compared to what they cost. It combined results from 35 studies covering programs in many states and focusing mainly on people with conditions like diabetes and high risk of hospital admission. Overall, the findings show that these programs generally save more money than they cost, mainly by reducing healthcare use like hospital visits. On average, every dollar spent returned about two dollars in savings. The review concludes that community health worker programs are a good investment and calls for more consistent ways of measuring their impact, including fairness across different communities.