Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services

In this recorded webinar, subject-matter experts from ATW Health Solutions explore how enhanced communication efforts can help your organization meet the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards). Among other things, participants in this second CLAS webinar discussed how to assess their organization's success in creating an effective language services program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has created a new state total cost-of-care model designed to enhance multi-payer alignment. The AHEAD Model has several goals: to collaborate with states to curb health care cost growth, improve population health and reduce disparities in health outcomes.

In this recorded one-hour webinar, subject-matter experts from ATW Health Solutions explore how implementing the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards) can help advance health equity. In this first of three webinars, viewers will learn why it's important to implement these standards and review the National CLAS Standards' Principal Standard and Themes, with particular attention on Theme 3.

A new analysis of health and nutrition, conducted by a team from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, shows that social determinants of health (SDOH) significantly influence heart failure outcomes for people of color. The study also shows that patients with incomes below the federal poverty level face more challenges to overcome within the different categories of SDOH.

The American Hospital Association shares these videos to help hospital-based health care providers explore ways to address the social determinants of health that directly affect their patients' wellbeing.

This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) guide helps organizations implement the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards and improve health equity.

The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) website, maintained by the American Hospital Association (AHA), houses reports and case studies, along with webinars and videos, on several SDOH characteristics. The AHA website also links to resources hospitals can use to better meet their community's needs while addressing health care disparities.

Where and how people live directly affects their heath. People experiencing housing instability have limited access to preventive care and are more likely to have infectious diseases and chronic health conditions. This website, maintained by the American Hospital Association, shares resources to help hospital workers better understand how housing instability affects health, and what they can do to ensure that people in their communities have access to affordable, stable housing.

People who do not have reliable transportation may find it difficult to access health care, which results in missed or delayed access to preventive health care services. This website, maintained by the American Hospital Association, shares resources to help hospital workers better understand how transportation issues affect health and health care outcomes, and what they can do to reduce transportation barriers in their communities.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), IPV is related to serious health issues. This CDC website can help health care workers better understand IPV, and how they can help prevent it.

Child abuse and neglect are serious public health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains this website so health care workers can better understand chlild abuse and neglect. This CDC website also provides evidence-based strategies that can help health care workers prevent child abuse and neglect.

Elder abuse occurs when an older adult experiences an act that causes them harm. Abuse, including neglect and exploitation, is experienced by about 1 in 10 people, aged 60 and older, who live at home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a website that can help health care workers better understand elder abuse. This CDC website also offers evidence-based strategies that can help health care workers prevent elder abuse.

To treat patients’ social needs, we must first identify those needs. The American Hospital Association created this guide to help hospital-based health care providers, patients and community stakeholders determine how to screen and identify the socioeconomic challenges some people may face.

This whitepaper from TMF Health Quality Institute describes key social determinants of health (SDOH) and how they affect health outcomes. The whitepaper includes examples of how provider organizations and hospitals and community-based stakeholders can work together to address SDOH.

This article discusses ways to improve patient transfers from one facility to another. Effective transfers helps ensure that all patients have access to quality care.

This article, from Optum.com, explores how commercial Medicare Advantage insurance plans can address social determinants of health (SDOH), just as Medicare or Medicaid do. According to Optum.com, addressing SDOH requires an evolution in coding capabilities within existing documentation systems.

This crosswalk aligns three sets of standards with the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards: the Joint Commission health equity standards, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid health equity measures, and existing Appendix PP long-term care regulations. Facilities can use this guide to evaluate existing efforts to achieve health equity and help determine new opportunities to advance health equity.