CMS Resources

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid's health equity strategy will build on the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government, as described in President Biden's Executive Orders 13985 and 14091.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offers a 4-minute, animated video that explains when a proxy response is allowed for Social Determinants of Health items.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is finalizing policies to support primary care, advance health equity, assist family caregivers and expand access to behavioral and certain oral health care.

The majority of health care providers and payers are not ready to meet shifting health equity regulatory requirements, according to Ernst & Young's latest report. To compile its "2024 Health Equity Outlook," the accounting firm surveyed 500 health equity leaders across stakeholder industries: Providers, payers, life sciences, government and nonprofit/community organizations.

A study of the connections between environmental risks and health found that Black and Latinx individuals living in Austin, Texas, had an increased asthma-related health burdens due to increased air pollution levels. The study suggests that even small adjustments in air pollution levels can impact the frequency of asthma-related emergency care, especially among marginalized communities.

The November 2023 U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health from the White House lays out an initial set of structural actions agencies are taking to collaborate and support equitable health outcomes across communities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Operational Framework for Monitoring Social Determinants of Health Equity to measure, assess and address the social determinants of health and health inequities from a cross-sectorial perspective.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Office of Minority Health has released a new resource of health equity-related data definitions, standards and stratification practices. This resource clarifies differences in results that may arise when different data standards and definitions are used. Health care providers, states, community organizations, researchers, and others collecting and/or stratifying their health equity-related data can make use of this resource to align with CMS.

This study's findings indicate that, even among the highest-quality hospitals, dually-eligible Medicare patients had poorer health outcomes, but higher costs than other Medicare populations.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated framework to further advance health equity, expand coverage and improve health outcomes for the more than 170 million individuals supported by CMS programs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) continues to work toward achieving health equity in testing its payment and service delivery models. This article describe future CMMI efforts, which includes developing new models and revising existing models to promote and incentivize equitable care and increasing its collection and analysis of equity data.

This document answers frequently asked questions about billing codes for health care services that address the health-related social needs of Medicare beneficiaries.

The updated data modernization strategy for 2024-2025 lays out priority work for the next two years to continue to improve our capabilities for early threat detection and real-time monitoring across all levels of public health.

This webinar from the Indiana Hospital Association focuses on how social behaviors can affect health, along with how to use Z codes to better track patients' needs and identify solutions to improve the health of their communities.

This guide will help health care workers implement an evidence- and consensus-based framework for improving patient outcomes and advancing health care equity.

Visit this webpage from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Health Equity Technical Assistance program to find resources that can help health care organizations take action against health disparities.

In this report, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) describes the current state of enrollee-focused health equity data across CMS programs. The report also describes with the progress made to date and the future actions that will achieve CMS’s vision for health equity.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Disparities Impact Statement is a tool that can be used by health care stakeholders to promote efforts to eliminate health disparities while improving the health of people from all populations that experience disparities.

Watch this recorded webinar to learn more about how to administer a standardized, evidence-based social determinants of health (SDOH)assessment. Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) representatives also share resources that can assist health care workers in billing for SDOH assessments.

Chronic diseases pose a significant problem in the United States resulting in substantial morbidity, mortality, disability and cost. The CMS Office of Minority Health has designed an interactive map, the Mapping Medicare Disparities (MMD) Tool, to identify areas of disparities between subgroups of Medicare enrollees (e.g., racial and ethnic groups) in health outcomes, utilization and spending.

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.

This report, released in 2024 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Office of Minority Health, provides a summary of the quality of health care people enrolled in Medicare Advantage received across the United States the year prior, focusing on differences in patient experience and clinical care quality based on race, ethnicity and sex.

This cross-sectional study finds that Black or Hispanic Medicare fee-for-service patients with ischemic stroke had a higher likelihood of worse stroke severity after being admitted to an acute care facililty.

The findings in this report indicate that disparities in diabetes care exist for Black beneficiaries, dually eligible beneficiaries and those living in higher-poverty areas.

Gain insights from entities distinguished by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as Heatlh Equity Award Winners.

This resource gives instructions for hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) employs a multifaceted approach to enhance health care, using quality measurement, public reporting, value-based payment programs and health and safety standards enforcement. Read about CMS's mission to improve quality across the health care system.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced an updated framework to enhance health equity, broaden coverage and boost health outcomes for over 170 million individuals in its programs. The CMS framework focuses on reinforcing assessment infrastructure, fostering collaboration across the health care system for structural improvements and eliminating barriers to CMS-supported benefits and services.

For the CY 2023 reporting period/FY 2025 payment determination under the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program, hospitals will need to confirm that they engaged in the activities described in this Attestation Guidance Document during January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023.

This document shares information about the Screening for Social Drivers of Health Measure. The measure assesses whether a hospital implements screening for all patients that are 18 years or older at time of admission for food insecurity, housing instability, transportation needs, utility difficulties and interpersonal safety.

This document lists and answers frequently asked questions about Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) Measures used by hospitals particpating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program.

Among other things, this final rule revises the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals.

Read about The Joint Commission’s updated National Patient Safety Goal for ambulatory health care organizations, behavioral health care and human services organizations, critical access hospitals and hospitals.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) resource guide links references, other resources and style guides to frame health equity and avoid stigmatizing language.