Committing to Health Equity

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (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, one in ten 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

Social determinants also make up 80 percent to 90 percent of modifiable health outcome contributors. Despite this, the U.S. spends a higher percentage of its gross domestic product on health system/medical costs—rather than social services—than other developed countries, indicating a need for further preventing and addressing social factors impacting health. It is time to commit to health equity by making equity a strategic priority, collecting and analyzing data, improving quality, and engaging leadership.⁴

Additional Health Equity Tools and Resources

Visit the HSAG HQIC webpage to access more health equity tools, including assessments, interventions, and resources for patients. In particular, the Health Equity Action Plan is customizable and can be used to assist hospitals with SDOH.

Why Stay Up to Date With Vaccines

Thirty-eight states reported high levels of respiratory virus activity with an increasing number seeing very high levels. COVID-19 and flu-related hospital admissions are rising. Additionally, COVID-19 wastewater levels, an indicator of virus activity, are very high.⁵

Staying up to date with vaccines is one way to prevent being ill. Find vaccine details from the CDC vaccine schedule for adults.

Health Equity Quickinar Series Recordings

This webinar series addresses issues and criteria that hospitals will need to meet for health equity measures. These 30-minute presentations will assist your hospital in advancing health equity initiatives in alignment with CMS priorities. Visit the HSAG Quickinar Series to learn more.

Care Coordination Quickinar Series: Improving Communication and Teamwork Around Antibiotic Decision Making

Explain how to improve communication with other healthcare workers, examine how to improve communication with patients and families, and explore how to work as a team to improve antibiotic prescribing using The Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making framework.

Discover ways to manage avoidable hospital readmissions by registering for these short, 30-minute webinars (quickinars)—offered monthly January through May 2024. Find details and recordings for past presentations on the webpage.

1st Tuesdays. Next: March 5, 2024 | 2–2:30 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)

Ensuring Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Treatment Through the Care Continuum

This webinar series—a collaboration of all Quality Improvement Organizations—provides strategies, interventions, and targeted solutions to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have access to MOUD treatment and facilitate the continuity of care.

Next: February 9, 2024 | 12 noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Find on-demand quickinar recordings, slides, and podcasts for past HSAG HQIC learning series.

Health Equity Quickinar Series

Patient/Family Engagement Quickinar Series

Quality and Safety Quickinar Series

References

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

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

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

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

5 Carbajal, E. Beckers Clinical Leadership. Number of states reporting “very high” virus levels rises alongside admissions. 2024. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/number-of-states-reporting-very-high-virus-levels-rises-alongside-admissions.html?origin=BHRE&utm_source=BHRE&utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&oly_enc_id=5667H2032034F5Z

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-01072024-01