For a year, according to a CNBC report, Facebook developed a plan to work with hospitalsto scrape an individual's social interactions from their profile to identify whether they lack social supports or have other needs when they get discharged from the hospital.

As a doctor and health-tech investor, I'd like to propose an alternative approach: Try talking to a patient.

Case managers and social workers already play a vitally important role, which has been historically under-appreciated and under-recognized in both the health and tech industries.

These individuals are already in regular contact with patients, usually in a clinic or hospital setting, to assess their social determinant needs (a fancy term for things like housing, transportation, financial, social support) and deploy resources to fill these gaps.