Health disparities are a long-standing challenge in the United States and worldwide. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its higher impact on vulnerable and marginalized groups, more attention is being directed towards achieving health equity. With a focus on the relationship between health, social factors, and their role in public health, researchers, policy makers…
People often confuse health equity with health equality, but it’s vital that healthcare professionals understand the difference. Health equality essentially means giving every person the same thing, while health equity means giving people what they need to reach the best possible outcome. This, of course, is an important distinction, as social determinants of health (SDoH) often dictate the needs…
The world has witnessed the roll out of multiple effective COVID-19 vaccines. Yet, COVID-19 continues to be an unprecedented challenge, unpinning societies, economies, and health systems. While vaccine campaigns are underway in high-income countries, there is an urgent need to ensure vaccines are prioritized for deployment in low- and middle-income countries. As new, potentially vaccine-resistant variants emerge…
For MercyOne, digital social determinants of health screening was a clinician-led pursuit. When the Iowa-based hospital and clinic system began screening for social risk factors in 2017, its leaders were responding to pushes from providers who noted the role these factors play in overall patient health. “We’d heard from our providers that health-related social needs…
Value-based care, the care delivery and reimbursement reform movement that emphasizes outcomes over volume of services rendered, could not be successful without strong and meaningful patient engagement. Defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as programs that “reward health care providers with incentive payments for the quality of care they give to people with…
The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the health disparities across the United States and is fueling overdue discussion on how they can be systematically addressed to achieve the bigger goal of delivering the best care everywhere. Much of this discussion is focused around how to best leverage the valuable troves of health care data…
Dr Alex Ng discovered during his early medical career in a role as chief resident at the Middlemore hospital in New Zealand that he wanted to support those who are underprivileged. The hospital was a referral unit for tertiary and quaternary care for the South Pacific islands, which allowed him to witness the impact of…
Health equity is increasingly a priority for providers, and insurers can be a key partner in supporting those efforts, according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). More than half of health systems surveyed (58%) identified health equity as a top priority, up from 25% saying the same in 2019. Equity placed second to safety in the…
Despite claiming to have prioritized health equity, the Biden administration just missed an opportunity to address poor nutrition—an important health and equity issue for older adults in particular. When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its FY 2022 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule, something was conspicuously absent from the Hospital…
COVID-19 pandemic fatigue has many people seeking a return to normalcy. But health care needs a new normal—one that achieves better health outcomes for more people. Wishing for a return to health care’s old normal is like driving into a long tunnel hoping for a U-turn that takes you back to where you started. Multiple…