Health equity became an increasingly important topic this past year. There has been a significant increase in initiatives from legislators and policymakers, as well as increased funding toward historically underserved groups. We reported on Feb. 28 that “Washington has become the second state to begin to create Health Equity Zones to support communities in addressing…
The Rise to Health Coalition seeks to catalyze individuals and organizations committed to health equity and justice. WHY IT MATTERS Dr. Kedar Mate, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, announced the new coalition at the recent IHI Forum 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Joined by Dr. Aletha Maybank, chief health equity officer and senior…
Two physician healthcare policy leaders are offering an examination of the value-based delivery and payment movement in healthcare from a health equity perspective, and have concluded that, while healthcare reimbursement reform can provide one element in moving the needle on health equity, it alone cannot provide a vehicle that will transform the U.S. healthcare system…
The CMS outlined potential guidance last week on issues like healthcare equity and climate change in its final inpatient payment rule as the federal government heightens its healthcare oversight on social issues. In the report, the CMS released comments that it received after soliciting public input during its proposed rule in April. The feedback on…
In any given community, the local health system is probably one of the biggest employers. It’s probably also one of the biggest spenders and biggest concentrations of social capital. The word for that is anchor institution, and healthcare organizations need to embrace that status in order to keep the health equity ship moving. For nearly…
Health equity in America is a vast topic, and I’m sure there are people much more expert in this area than I am. However, as a Black man, and as the CEO of a healthcare technology company that works with thousands of clinical organizations, I believe it’s my obligation to learn, speak out, and take…
The nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance has revised quality measures for health plans in the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) for measurement year 2023. NCQA has added race/ethnicity stratifications and made revisions to acknowledge and affirm member gender identity. Collecting race and ethnicity data is key to improving health disparities, NCQA said….
As the nation’s largest health care payer, responsible for more than one in five dollars spent on health care within the United States, Medicare plays a key role in transitioning the health care system away from fee-for-service, which incentivizes quantity of care, and towards value-based care, which incentivizes high-quality care and smarter spending. The passage…
Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in tech-based approaches to improving maternal outcomes and the birthing journey. While most women still have in-person visits to check the progress of their pregnancy, deliver or check-in following delivery, technology can expand the reach of health care services. Digital solutions, including remote patient monitoring,…
The CMS is proposing an overhaul of the Medicare accountable care organization program in an effort to improve equity. The plan, which includes efforts to get more providers into ACOs and particularly ramp up rural participation, was applauded by ACO groups. The changes for ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program would give some organizations more…