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Keating NL, Landrum MB, Samuel-Ryals C, Sinaiko AD, Wright A, Brooks GA, Bai B, Zaslavsky AM. Measuring Racial Inequities In The Quality Of Care Across Oncology Practices In The US. Health Aff (Millwood) 2022; 41:598-606. [PMID: 35377762 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Racial inequities in clinical performance diminish overall health care system performance; however, quality assessments have rarely incorporated reliable measures of racial inequities. We studied care for more than one million Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with cancer to assess the feasibility of calculating reliable practice-level measures of racial inequities in chemotherapy-associated emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Specifically, we used hierarchical models to estimate adjusted practice-level Black-White differences in these events and described differences across practices. We calculated reliable inequity measures for 426 and 322 practices, depending on the measure. These practices reflected fewer than 10 percent of practices treating Medicare beneficiaries with chemotherapy, but they treated approximately half of all White and Black Medicare beneficiaries receiving chemotherapy and two-thirds of Black Medicare beneficiaries receiving chemotherapy. Black patients experienced chemotherapy-associated ED visits and hospitalizations at higher rates (54.2 percent and 35.8 percent, respectively) than White patients (45.7 percent and 31.9 percent, respectively). The median within-practice Black-White difference was 8.1 percentage points for chemotherapy-associated ED visits and 2.7 percentage points for chemotherapy-associated hospitalizations. Additional research is needed to identify other reliable measures of racial inequities in health care quality, measure care inequities in smaller practices, and assess whether providing practice-level feedback could improve equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy L Keating
- Nancy L. Keating , Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Cleo Samuel-Ryals
- Cleo Samuel-Ryals, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | | | - Alexi Wright
- Alexi Wright, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gabriel A Brooks
- Gabriel A. Brooks, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES We aim to extract a subset of social factors from clinical notes using common text classification methods. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING We collaborated with a local level I trauma hospital located in an underserved area that has a housing unstable patient population of about 6.5% and extracted text notes related to various social determinants for acute care patients. PARTICIPANTS Notes were retrospectively extracted from 43 798 acute care patients. METHODS We solely use open source Python packages to test simple text classification methods that can potentially be easily generalisable and implemented. We extracted social history text from various sources, such as admission and emergency department notes, over a 5-year timeframe and performed manual chart reviews to ensure data quality. We manually labelled the sentiment of the notes, treating each text entry independently. Four different models with two different feature selection methods (bag of words and bigrams) were used to classify and predict housing stability, tobacco use and alcohol use status for the extracted clinical text. RESULTS From our analysis, we found overall positive results and metrics in applying open-source classification techniques; the accuracy scores were 91.2%, 84.7%, 82.8% for housing stability, tobacco use and alcohol use, respectively. There were many limitations in our analysis including social factors not present due to patient condition, multiple copy-forward entries and shorthand. Additionally, it was difficult to translate usage degrees for tobacco and alcohol use. However, when compared with structured data sources, our classification approach on unstructured notes yielded more results for housing and alcohol use; tobacco use proved less fruitful for unstructured notes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Teng
- Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Adam Wilcox
- Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Parekh N, Jarlenski M, Kelley D. Prenatal and Postpartum Care Disparities in a Large Medicaid Program. Matern Child Health J 2019; 22:429-437. [PMID: 29280037 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-017-2410-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Pennsylvania's maternal mortality, infant mortality, and preterm birth rates rank 24th, 35th, and 25th in the country, and are higher among racial and ethnic minorities. Provision of prenatal and postpartum care represents one way to improve these outcomes. We assessed the extent of disparities in the provision and timeliness of prenatal and postpartum care for women enrolled in Pennsylvania Medicaid. Methods We performed a cross-sectional evaluation of representative samples of women who delivered live births from November 2011 to 2015. Our outcomes were three binary effectiveness-of-care measures: prenatal care timeliness, frequency of prenatal care, and postpartum care timeliness. Pennsylvania's Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) were required to submit these outcomes to the state after reviewing administrative and medical records through a standardized, validated sampling process. We assessed for differences in outcomes by race, ethnicity, region, year, and MCO using logistic regression. Results We analyzed data for 12,228 women who were 49% White, 31% Black/African American, 4% Asian, and 15% Hispanic/Latina. Compared to Black/African American women, white and Asian women had higher odds of prenatal and postpartum care. Hispanic/Latina women had higher frequency of prenatal care than non-Hispanic women. Pennsylvania's Southeast had lower prenatal care and Northwest had lower postpartum care than other regions. Prenatal care significantly decreased in 2014 and increased in 2015. We observed differences between MCOs, and as MCO performance diminished, racial disparities within each plan widened. We explored hypotheses for observed disparities in secondary analyses. Conclusions for Practice Our data demonstrate that interventions should address disparities by race, region, and MCO in equity-promoting measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha Parekh
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Suite 933 W, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
| | - Marian Jarlenski
- Health Policy Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.,Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - David Kelley
- Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Medical Assistance Programs, Harrisburg, USA
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Grazier KL, Quanbeck AR, Oruongo J, Robinson J, Ford JH, McCarty D, Pulvermacher A, Johnson RA, Gustafson DH. What Influences Participation in QI? A Randomized Trial of Addiction Treatment Organizations. J Healthc Qual 2016; 37:342-53. [PMID: 24428632 DOI: 10.1111/jhq.12064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Healthcare providers have increased the use of quality improvement (QI) techniques, but organizational variables that affect QI uptake and implementation warrant further exploration. This study investigates organizational characteristics associated with clinics that enroll and participate over time in QI. The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) conducted a large cluster-randomized trial of outpatient addiction treatment clinics, called NIATx 200, which randomized clinics to one of four QI implementation strategies: (1) interest circle calls, (2) coaching, (3) learning sessions, and (4) the combination of all three components. Data on organizational culture and structure were collected before, after randomization, and during the 18-month intervention. Using univariate descriptive analyses and regression techniques, the study identified two significant differences between clinics that enrolled in the QI study (n = 201) versus those that did not (n = 447). Larger programs were more likely to enroll and clinics serving more African Americans were less likely to enroll. Once enrolled, higher rates of QI participation were associated with clinics' not having a hospital affiliation, being privately owned, and having staff who perceived management support for QI. The study discusses lessons for the field and future research needs.
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Williams AW. Health policy, disparities, and the kidney. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis 2015; 22:54-9. [PMID: 25573513 DOI: 10.1053/j.ackd.2014.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2014] [Revised: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Kidney care and public policy have been linked for 40 years, with various consequences to outcomes. The 1972 Social Security Amendment, Section 2991, expanded Medicare coverage for all modalities of dialysis and transplant services and non-kidney-related care to those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) regardless of age. This first and only disease-specific entitlement program was a step toward decreasing disparities in access to care. Despite this, disparities in kidney disease outcomes continue as they are based on many factors. Over the last 4 decades, policies have been enacted to understand and improve the delivery of ESRD care. More recent policies include novel shared-risk payment models to ensure quality and decrease costs. This article discusses the impact or potential impact of selected policies on health disparities in advanced chronic kidney disease and ESRD. Although it is too early to know the consequences of newer policies (Affordable Care Act, ESRD Prospective Payment System, Quality Incentive Program, Accountable Care Organizations), their goal of improving access to timely patient-centered appropriate affordable and quality care should lessen the disparity gap. The Nephrology community must leverage this dynamic state of care-delivery model redesign to decrease kidney-related health disparities.
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Moskowitz D, Guthrie B, Bindman AB. The role of data in health care disparities in Medicaid managed care. MEDICARE & MEDICAID RESEARCH REVIEW 2012; 2:mmrr.002.04.a02. [PMID: 24800153 PMCID: PMC4006475 DOI: 10.5600/mmrr.002.04.a02] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Affordable Care Act includes provisions to standardize the collection of data on health care quality that can be used to measure disparities. We conducted a qualitative study among leaders of Medicaid managed care plans, that currently have access to standardized quality data stratified by race and ethnicity, to learn how they use it to address disparities. METHODS We conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 health plan leaders across 9 Medicaid managed care plans in California. We used purposive sampling to maximize heterogeneity in geography and plan type (e.g., non-profit, commercial). We performed a thematic analysis based on iterative coding by two investigators. RESULTS We found 4 major themes. Improving overall quality was tightly linked to a focus on standardized metrics that are integral to meeting regulatory or financial incentives. However, reducing disparities was not driven by standardized data, but by a mix of factors. Data were frequently only examined by race and ethnicity when overall performance was low. Disparities were attributed to either individual choices or cultural and linguistic factors, with plans focusing interventions on recently immigrated groups. CONCLUSIONS While plans' efforts to address overall quality were often informed by standardized data, actions to reduce disparities were not, at least partly because there were few regulatory or financial incentives driving meaningful use of data on disparities. Standardized data, as envisaged by the Affordable Care Act, could become more useful for addressing disparities if they are combined with policies and regulations that promote health care equity.
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Mayberry RM, Nicewander DA, Qin H, Ballard DJ. Improving quality and reducing inequities: a challenge in achieving best care. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) 2011; 19:103-18. [PMID: 16609733 PMCID: PMC1426185 DOI: 10.1080/08998280.2006.11928138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The health care quality chasm is better described as a gulf for certain segments of the population, such as racial and ethnic minority groups, given the gap between actual care received and ideal or best care quality. The landmark Institute of Medicine report Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century challenges all health care organizations to pursue six major aims of health care improvement: safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and patient-centeredness. "Equity" aims to ensure that quality care is available to all and that the quality of care provided does not differ by race, ethnicity, or other personal characteristics unrelated to a patient's reason for seeking care. Baylor Health Care System is in the unique position of being able to examine the current state of equity in a typical health care delivery system and to lead the way in health equity research. Its organizational vision, "culture of quality," and involved leadership bode well for achieving equitable best care. However, inequities in access, use, and outcomes of health care must be scrutinized; the moral, ethical, and economic issues they raise and the critical injustice they create must be remedied if this goal is to be achieved. Eliminating any observed inequities in health care must be synergistically integrated with quality improvement. Quality performance indicators currently collected and evaluated indicate that Baylor Health Care System often performs better than the national average. However, there are significant variations in care by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status that indicate the many remaining challenges in achieving "best care" for all.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Mayberry
- Institute for Health Care Research and Improvement, Baylor Health Care System, Dallas, Texas, USA.
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Escarce JJ, Carreón R, Veselovskiy G, Lawson EH. Collection Of Race And Ethnicity Data By Health Plans Has Grown Substantially, But Opportunities Remain To Expand Efforts. Health Aff (Millwood) 2011; 30:1984-91. [DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.1117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José J. Escarce
- José J. Escarce ( ) is a professor of medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Rita Carreón
- Rita Carreón is deputy director of clinical strategies and health care equity at America’s Health Insurance Plans, in Washington, D.C
| | - German Veselovskiy
- German Veselovskiy is a senior research associate at America’s Health Insurance Plans
| | - Elisa H. Lawson
- Elisa H. Lawson is a general surgery resident at the University of California, Los Angeles
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Green AR, Tan-McGrory A, Cervantes MC, Betancourt JR. Leveraging quality improvement to achieve equity in health care. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2011; 36:435-42. [PMID: 21548504 DOI: 10.1016/s1553-7250(10)36065-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED INEQUALITY IN QUALITY: Disparities in health care and quality for racial, ethnic, linguistic, and other disadvantaged groups are widespread and persistent. Health care organizations are engaged in efforts to improve quality in general but often make little attempt to address disparities. STANDARD VERSUS CULTURALLY COMPETENT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (QI) Most QI interventions are broadly targeted to the general population-a "one-size-fits-all" approach. These standard QI efforts may preferentially improve quality for more advantaged patients and maintain or even worsen existing disparities. Culturally competent QI interventions place specific emphasis on addressing the unique needs of minority groups and the root causes of disparities. HOW QI CAN REDUCE DISPARITIES QI interventions can reduce disparities in at least three ways: (1) In some cases, standard QI interventions can improve quality more for those with the lowest quality, but this is unreliable; (2) group-targeted QI interventions can reduce disparities by preferentially targeting disparity groups; and (3) culturally competent QI interventions, by tailoring care to cultural and linguistic barriers that cause disparities, can improve care for everyone but especially for disparity groups. GUIDELINES FOR CULTURALLY COMPETENT QI A culturally competent approach to QI should (1) identify disparities and use disparities data to guide and monitor interventions, (2) address barriers unique to specific disparity groups, and (3) address barriers common to many disparity group. CONCLUSIONS To achieve equity in health care, hospitals and other health care organizations should move toward culturally competent QI and disparities-targeted QI interventions to achieve equity in health care, a key pillar of quality.
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Thorlby R, Jorgensen S, Siegel B, Ayanian JZ. How health care organizations are using data on patients' race and ethnicity to improve quality of care. Milbank Q 2011; 89:226-55. [PMID: 21676022 PMCID: PMC3142338 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2011.00627.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT Racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of health care are well documented in the U.S. health care system. Reducing these disparities requires action by health care organizations. Collecting accurate data from patients about their race and ethnicity is an essential first step for health care organizations to take such action, but these data are not systematically collected and used for quality improvement purposes in the United States. This study explores the challenges encountered by health care organizations that attempted to collect and use these data to reduce disparities. METHODS Purposive sampling was used to identify eight health care organizations that collected race and ethnicity data to measure and reduce disparities in the quality and outcomes of health care. Staff, including senior managers and data analysts, were interviewed at each site, using a semi-structured interview format about the following themes: the challenges of collecting and collating accurate data from patients, how organizations defined a disparity and analyzed data, and the impact and uses of their findings. FINDINGS To collect accurate self-reported data on race and ethnicity from patients, most organizations had upgraded or modified their IT systems to capture data and trained staff to collect and input these data from patients. By stratifying nationally validated indicators of quality for hospitals and ambulatory care by race and ethnicity, most organizations had then used these data to identify disparities in the quality of care. In this process, organizations were taking different approaches to defining and measuring disparities. Through these various methods, all organizations had found some disparities, and some had invested in interventions designed to address them, such as extra staff, extended hours, or services in new locations. CONCLUSION If policymakers wish to hold health care organizations accountable for disparities in the quality of the care they deliver, common standards will be needed for organizations' data measurement, analysis, and use to guide systematic analysis and robust investment in potential solutions to reduce and eliminate disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Thorlby
- Nuffield Trust, 59 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 0AN, UK.
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Xirasagar S, Hurley TG, Burch JB, Mansaray A, Hébert JR. Colonoscopy screening rates among patients of colonoscopy-trained African American primary care physicians. Cancer 2011; 117:5151-60. [PMID: 21523762 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.26142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2010] [Revised: 12/03/2010] [Accepted: 02/25/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND When performed competently, colonoscopy screening can reduce colorectal cancer rates, especially in high-risk groups such as African Americans. Training primary care physicians (PCPs) to perform colonoscopy may improve screening rates among underserved high-risk populations. METHODS The authors compared colonoscopy screening rates and computed adjusted odds ratios for colonoscopy-eligible patients of trained African American PCPs (study group) versus untrained PCPs (comparison group), before and after initiating colonoscopy training. All colonoscopies were performed at a licensed ambulatory surgery center with specialist standby support. Retrospective chart review was conducted on 200 consecutive, established outpatients aged ≥50 years at each of 12 PCP offices (7 trained African American PCPs and 5 untrained PCPs, practicing in the same geographic region). There were a total of 1244 study group and 923 comparison group patients. RESULTS Post-training colonoscopy rates in both groups were higher than pretraining rates: 48.3% versus 9.3% in the study group, 29.6% versus 9.8% in the comparison group (both P < .001). African American patients in the study group showed a >5-fold increase (8.9% pretraining vs 52.8% post-training), with no change among whites (18.2% vs 25.0%). Corresponding pretraining and post-training rates among comparison patients were 10.4%% and 38.7%, respectively, among African Americans (P < .001), and 13.3% versus 13.2%, respectively, among whites. After adjusting for demographics, duration since becoming the PCP's patient, and health insurance, the study group had a 66% higher likelihood of colonoscopy in the post-training period (odds ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-2.13), and African Americans had a 5-fold increased likelihood of colonoscopy relative to whites. CONCLUSIONS Colonoscopy-trained PCPs may help reduce colorectal cancer disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudha Xirasagar
- Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
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Nerenz DR, Liu YW, Williams KL, Tunceli K, Zeng H. A simulation model approach to analysis of the business case for eliminating health care disparities. BMC Med Res Methodol 2011; 11:31. [PMID: 21418594 PMCID: PMC3073955 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-11-31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2010] [Accepted: 03/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Purchasers can play an important role in eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care. A need exists to develop a compelling "business case" from the employer perspective to put, and keep, the issue of racial/ethnic disparities in health care on the quality improvement agenda for health plans and providers. METHODS To illustrate a method for calculating an employer business case for disparity reduction and to compare the business case in two clinical areas, we conducted analyses of the direct (medical care costs paid by employers) and indirect (absenteeism, productivity) effects of eliminating known racial/ethnic disparities in mammography screening and appropriate medication use for patients with asthma. We used Markov simulation models to estimate the consequences, for defined populations of African-American employees or health plan members, of a 10% increase in HEDIS mammography rates or a 10% increase in appropriate medication use among either adults or children/adolescents with asthma. RESULTS The savings per employed African-American woman aged 50-65 associated with a 10% increase in HEDIS mammography rate, from direct medical expenses and indirect costs (absenteeism, productivity) combined, was $50. The findings for asthma were more favorable from an employer point of view at approximately $1,660 per person if raising medication adherence rates in African-American employees or dependents by 10%. CONCLUSIONS For the employer business case, both clinical scenarios modeled showed positive results. There is a greater potential financial gain related to eliminating a disparity in asthma medications than there is for eliminating a disparity in mammography rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Nerenz
- Center for Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Yung-wen Liu
- Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, University of Michigan-Dearborn, USA
| | - Keoki L Williams
- Center for Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Kaan Tunceli
- Center for Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Huiwen Zeng
- Deparatment of Economics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
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Wynia MK, Ivey SL, Hasnain-Wynia R. Collection of data on patients' race and ethnic group by physician practices. N Engl J Med 2010; 362:846-50. [PMID: 20200391 DOI: 10.1056/nejmsb0910799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew K Wynia
- Institute for Ethics at the American Medical Association, and the University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
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Rosenthal MB, Landon BE, Normand SLT, Ahmad TS, Epstein AM. Engagement of health plans and employers in addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Med Care Res Rev 2008; 66:219-31. [PMID: 19114606 DOI: 10.1177/1077558708328816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Disparities in access to and quality of health care along racial and ethnic lines are an important national problem. Health care purchasers and payers have a potentially important role to play in alleviating this problem. Using national surveys of 609 employers and 252 health plans with HMO products in 41 U.S. markets, we examined awareness of racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and quality, perceptions of employer and health plan role in addressing disparities, and reported efforts to measure and reduce disparities. Our findings suggest that most health plans and many employers are aware of the existence of substantial disparities and that health plans, but not employers, have taken steps to examine and influence patterns of care by race and ethnicity among their members.
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Proser M, Shin P. The role of community health centers in responding to disparities in visual health. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 79:564-75. [PMID: 18922492 DOI: 10.1016/j.optm.2008.04.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2008] [Revised: 04/25/2008] [Accepted: 04/30/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Smith DB, Feng Z, Fennell ML, Zinn J, Mor V. Racial disparities in access to long-term care: the illusive pursuit of equity. JOURNAL OF HEALTH POLITICS, POLICY AND LAW 2008; 33:861-81. [PMID: 18818425 DOI: 10.1215/03616878-2008-022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
While nursing homes were insulated from civil-rights enforcement at the time of the implementation of the Medicare program and lagged behind other parts of the health sector in providing comparable access to minorities, they are the only providers for which current reporting requirements make it possible to fully assess racial disparities in use and quality of care. We find that African Americans' use of nursing homes in 2000 in the United States was 14 percent higher than Caucasians' use. The largest relative African American use of nursing homes in 2000 took place in the South and West. Average nursing-home case-mix acuity for African Americans and Caucasians were essentially identical, suggesting that shifts in payment incentives have eliminated the selective admission of easy-care private-pay (predominantly Caucasian) patients and helped fuel the growth of private pay home care and assisted living for this segment of the population. While these shifts in incentives helped increase the use of nursing homes by African Americans, a high degree of segregation and disparity in the quality of the nursing homes used by African Americans persists. Parity in use is an illusive benchmark for measuring progress in assuring equity in treatment.
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Franks P, Fiscella K. Reducing disparities downstream: prospects and challenges. J Gen Intern Med 2008; 23:672-7. [PMID: 18214626 PMCID: PMC2324139 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-008-0509-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2007] [Revised: 12/04/2007] [Accepted: 01/04/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Addressing upstream or fundamental causes (such as poverty, limited education, and compromised healthcare access) is essential to reduce healthcare disparities. But such approaches are not sufficient, and downstream interventions, addressing the consequences of those fundamental causes within the context of any existing health system, are also necessary. We present a definition of healthcare disparities and two key principles (that healthcare is a social good and disparities in outcomes are a quality problem) that together provide a framework for addressing disparities downstream. Adapting the chronic care model, we examine a hierarchy of three domains for interventions (health system, provider-patient interactions, and clinical decision making) to reduce disparities downstream and discuss challenges to implementing the necessary changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Franks
- Center for Healthcare Policy and Research, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA USA
| | - Kevin Fiscella
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY USA
- Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY USA
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Lillie-Blanton M, Maleque S, Miller W. Reducing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in health care: opportunities in national health reform. THE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS : A JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS 2008; 36:693-608. [PMID: 19093993 DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-720x.2008.00324.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Policy often focuses on reducing health care disparities through interventions at the patient and provider level. While unquestionably important, system-wide reforms to reduce uninsurance, improve geographic availability of services, increase workforce diversity, and promote clinical best practices are essential for progress in reducing disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marsha Lillie-Blanton
- Department of Health Policy, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, USA
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Chien AT, Chin MH, Davis AM, Casalino LP. Pay for performance, public reporting, and racial disparities in health care: how are programs being designed? Med Care Res Rev 2007; 64:283S-304S. [PMID: 17881629 DOI: 10.1177/1077558707305426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Pay-for-performance and public reporting programs may have a neutral, narrowing, or widening effect on racial disparities in health care. The authors begin this article by suggesting that certain characteristics of these programs may affect disparities. They then present results from a systematic review of the literature on the effects of performance incentive programs on racial disparities in health care. The review revealed that only one empirical study provided data on this issue: It showed that a major public reporting program increased disparities in coronary artery bypass graft rates. The authors then present the results of interviews with leaders of 15 major performance incentive programs in the United States. The interviews indicated that current programs are not designed to reduce disparities and often lack characteristics that may be important in reducing disparities. The article concludes with program leaders' recommendations on how performance incentive programs could be designed to reduce disparities.
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Horton S. The double burden on safety net providers: Placing health disparities in the context of the privatization of health care in the US. Soc Sci Med 2006; 63:2702-14. [PMID: 16908090 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The US Institute of Medicine's (IOM) influential 2003 report has focused attention on disparities in treatment outcomes and health status for American minorities, zeroing in on the role of unconscious bias in the unequal clinical disposition of minority patients. In keeping with the IOM's focus, current examinations of health disparities in the US tend to explore bias in clinical decision-making to the neglect of the political economic trends that buffet health care safety net sites and create the need for financial shortcuts. This paper recontextualizes the study of health disparities in the US by placing it against the backdrop of private sector trends emphasizing fiscal austerity and increased workforce productivity in health care. The social science literature on workers in human service bureaucracies, only recently applied to health care workers, suggests that higher demands for system "accountability" and worker "efficiency" may encourage providers to take shortcuts by treating individuals as mass categories. This ethnography of a Latino mental health clinic in the Northwestern USA shows that new private-sector measures of "productivity" take a toll on both the Latina clinicians whose invisible work subsidizes the system as well as on particular categories of patients--the uninsured and immigrants with serious psychosocial issues. While clinicians attempt to buffer the impacts of such reforms on patients, they also resort to means to increase their productivity such as firing repeated no-show patients and denial of care to the uninsured. This study is relevant for the health care of the poor in all health care systems considering restructuring along managerial principles to increase system 'efficiencies.'
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Horton
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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22
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Nerenz DR, Hunt KA, Escarce JJ. Health care organizations' use of data on race/ethnicity to address disparities in health care. Health Serv Res 2006; 41:1444-50. [PMID: 16899017 PMCID: PMC1797093 DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00613.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David R Nerenz
- Center for Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, 1 Ford Place (3A), Detroit, MI 48202, USA
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Sequist TD, Schneider EC. Addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care: using federal data to support local programs to eliminate disparities. Health Serv Res 2006; 41:1451-68. [PMID: 16899018 PMCID: PMC1797089 DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00549.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
To reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care, managers, policy makers, and researchers need valid and reliable data on the race and ethnicity of individuals and populations. The federal government is one of the most important sources of such data. In this paper we review the strengths and weaknesses of federal data that pertain to racial and ethnic disparities in health care. We describe recent developments that are likely to influence how these data can be used in the future and discuss how local programs could make use of these data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Sequist
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of General Medicine, 1620 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120, USA
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To review two indirect methods, geocoding and surname analysis, for estimating race/ethnicity as a means for health plans to assess disparities in care. STUDY DESIGN Review of published articles and unpublished data on the use of geocoding and surname analyses. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Few published studies have evaluated use of geocoding to estimate racial and ethnic characteristics of a patient population or to assess disparities in health care. Three of four studies showed similar estimates of the proportion of blacks and one showed nearly identical estimates of racial disparities, regardless of whether indirect or more direct measures (e.g., death certificate or CMS data) were used. However, accuracy depended on racial segregation levels in the population and region assessed and geocoding was unreliable for identifying Hispanics and Asians/Pacific Islanders. Similarly, several studies suggest surname analyses produces reasonable estimates of whether an enrollee is Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander and can identify disparities in care. However, accuracy depends on the concentrations of Asians or Hispanics in areas assessed. It is less accurate for women and more acculturated and higher SES persons due intermarriage, name changes, and adoption. Surname analysis is not accurate for identifying African Americans. Recent unpublished analyses suggest plans can successfully use a combined geocoding/surname analyses approach to identify disparities in care in most regions. Refinements based on Bayesian methods may make geocoding/surname analyses appropriate for use in areas where the accuracy is currently poor, but validation of these preliminary results is needed. CONCLUSIONS Geocoding and surname analysis show promise for estimating racial/ethnic health plan composition of enrollees when direct data on major racial and ethnic groups are lacking. These data can be used to assess disparities in care, pending availability of self-reported race/ethnicity data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Fiscella
- Departments of Family Medicine and Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
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Exworthy M, Bindman A, Davies H, Washington AE. Evidence into policy and practice? Measuring the progress of U.S. and U.K. policies to tackle disparities and inequalities in U.S. and U.K. health and health care. Milbank Q 2006; 84:75-109. [PMID: 16529569 PMCID: PMC2690156 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2006.00439.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Health policy in both the United States and the United Kingdom has recently shifted toward a much greater concern with disparities and inequalities in health and health care. As evidence for these disparities and inequalities mounts, the different approaches in each country present specific challenges for policy and practice. These differences are most apparent in the mechanisms by which the progress of such policies is measured. This article compares the United States' and United Kingdom's strategies to gauge the challenges for policymakers in order to inform policy and practice. A cross-national comparison of selected measurement mechanisms identifies lessons for policy and practice in both countries.
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