Addressing disparities in healthcare remains an important but difficult issue to tackle, in part due to the uncomfortable nature of discussing racial and ethnic divides.
Research has shown that members of racial and ethnic minority groups often receive lower quality health care compared to their white counterparts. Providers may unintentionally make assumptions based on their patients’ race or ethnicity that could influence the level of care they provide.
Furthermore, patients from low income/ethnic minorities may have a language barrier which can lead to a patient feeling confused about the healthcare advice and failing to comply with medical regimens. Communication can also be hindered by cultural differences between the healthcare provider and the patient.
These factors, plus many more, contribute to poorer health outcomes and lead to higher overall healthcare costs.
A new report, published in the June issue of Health Affairs, identifies challenges to and strategies for addressing disparities in healthcare organizations. The authors also acknowledge that this is an uncomfortable subject to discuss.
“Unlike other areas of quality improvement that might be straightforward to execute, addressing disparities is a more sensitive, hot-button issue,” says Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, Director of the Mass General Disparities Solutions Center (DSC) and corresponding author of the report.
The report analyzed survey data compiled from participants in the Massachusetts General Hospital-based Disparities Leadership Program (DLP) – a yearlong executive-level education initiative designed to help health care leaders from around the world address racial and ethnic disparities in health care settings.
Teams at participating organizations completed surveys at the end of the program year. The Health Affairs report covers survey data responses from 97 organizations that participated from 2007 to 2016.
Survey feedback was compiled into five strategies that participants found effective in implementing projects at their institutions.
These strategies are outlined in the report as follows:
One participant said, “[I received] great help from the leaders of the DLP and fellow DLP teammates by sharing ideas on coalition building, framing the message and the urgency and effective methods on educating leadership to get “buy in” on the collection of race, ethnicity and language data. The exchange of ideas and the sharing of best practices with the group proved to be invaluable.”
Moving forward, the DLP will continue its efforts to address disparities.
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Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
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If you don’t have money, the hospital doesn’t care. They only care about the check. So what if you don’t receive the same treatment as someone with better insurance. Who will actually make this a difference? The workers are also there for a check. You will rarely find anyone that cares enough to make a difference or that will go out there to “try”. Good luck on trying to find a lawyer if you have a case in one of these situations. If you come from nothing, you have nothing. People take what little you may or might have. If they ain’t making anything, they don’t care.