Health Equity: A Strategic Priority

According to the CDC, “Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by populations that have been disadvantaged.” Populations experiencing disparities include racial and ethnic minority groups, persons with disabilities, women, LGBTQI+, persons with limited English proficiency, and rural populations.¹ Furthermore, 1 in 10 Americans live in poverty and are unable to afford healthcare, healthy food, and housing.²

Patients who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid—which is considered a proxy for social determinants of health (SDOH)—have 1.5 times higher hospital utilization, are prescribed 70 percent higher levels of “high-risk” drugs (anticoagulants, glycemic agents, opioids), and experience 18 percent higher avoidable readmissions.³ SDOH also make up 80 percent to 90 percent of modifiable health outcome contributors. Despite this, our health system spends an estimated 95 percent of expenditures on medical care, rather than addressing or preventing SDOH, indicating a need for further focus on social factors impacting health.⁴

It is time to commit to health equity by making equity a strategic priority, collecting and analyzing data, improving quality, and engaging leadership.⁴

Begin With Assessing Health Equity in Your Organization

If you are ready to commit to health equity, but unsure where to start, consider completing a Health Equity Organizational Assessment and, based upon your responses, implement Strategies for Equitable Care.  

Make Teach-Back Part of Equitable Care

Teach-back is an evidence-based health literacy intervention that improves patient-provider communication and patient health outcomes. Essentially, the patient/family is taught and then asked to repeat back what they were just taught in their own words. The teacher listens carefully to determine if the patient/family understood. If understanding is evident, then it is appropriate to move on to a new concept. If understanding is not evident, then the process is repeated.⁵

Teach-back resources:

• American Medical Association (AMA) Health Literacy Video.
• HSAG Teach-Back Training.
• HSAG HQIC Teach-Back Tools.
• If Teach-Back is part of your patient care practice, consider validating employee competence using the HSAG HQIC Teach-Back Competency Validation Checklist.

Care Coordination

Quickinar Series

Continue your care coordination journey for managing avoidable hospital readmissions by registering for these short, 30-minute webinars—offered monthly, through May 2024. Find details and recordings for past presentations on the webpage.

Next: Teach-Back: A Strategy to Improve Care Coordination

July 11, 2023 | 2–2:30 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)

Health Equity

Quickinar Series

Achieving equitable care for all patients is a key priority for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is reflected in the new Hospital Commitment to Health Equity Structural Measure and Social Drivers Screening Measures in the Final Rule. These short, 30-minute presentations address the many facets and criteria hospitals will need to meet for these measures and assist your hospital in advancing health equity initiatives in alignment with CMS priorities. Also find past recordings on the webpage.

July 13, 2023 | 1–1:30 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT)

Patient and Family Engagement Quickinar Series

Establishing a partnership with patients and families improves patient quality and safety—from admission to discharge. Discover how to keep patients and families at the center of care and engage staff to form an alliance with patients and families. 

July 6, 2023, and July 27, 2023 | 1–1:30 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT)

Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) Webinars

These short, 45-minute webinars discuss key areas for a successful EPP, followed by a Q&A session. Presentations cover up-to-date information/resources and areas of focus included in a comprehensive EPP.

Hosted by HSAG, in partnership with the California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF), Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response (AzCHER), California Hospital Association (CHA), California Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), local health departments, the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine (CALTCM), and others.

3rd Wednesdays. Next: July 19, 2023 | 6–6:45 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)

References

1 CDC. What is Health Equity? https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/whatis/index.html

2 Healthy People. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/economic-stability

3 Heath S. (2019). Most Medicare dual-eligibles see social determinants of health. Public Payers News. https://healthpayerintelligence.com/news/most-medicare-dual-eligibles-see-social-determinants-of-health

4 Magnan, S. (2017). Social determinants of health 101 for health care: Five plus five. National Academy of Medicine. https://nam.edu/social-determinants-of-health-101-for-health-care-five-plus-five/ 

5 Schillinger, D. (2003). Closing the loop: Physician communication with diabetic patients who have low health literacy.  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/214905

This material was prepared by Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), a Hospital Quality Improvement Contractor (HQIC) under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. Publication No XS-HQIC-XT-07052023-01