Health Equity

Researchers have identified how social determinants of health (SDoH) impact vulnerable communities. SDoH data help clinicians and public health experts better understand those who live in their communities. Community Health Programs (CHPs) continue to incorporate elements of SDoH into their work serving patients. This report, from Executives for Health Innovation, provides an overview of the important elements of incorporating SDoH into a community health strategy.

This article explores how including equity as an important goal of the U.S. health system can improve efficiency in how resources are allocated.

Collected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, these resources can inform the efforts of Partnerships for Community Health to advance policies, practices and programs that foster health and wellbeing for all.

This new website from the American Kidney Fund is intended to improve health equity, especially among patients from underrepresented groups. The site houses tools and resources that can be shared with patients to help them have conversations with their doctors and make informed health care decisions.

This article examines how food access and security affects health and well-being. It states that many illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes, may be diet-related. However, through community health partnerships, health care organizations are trying to connect patients in need with nutritious food.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health care organizations should strive to ensure information, products and services are accessible and easily understood. This CDC website provides step-by-step guidance on how to improve health literacy in your organization.

Dawn Morales, PhD, is the program chief of the Office of Rural Mental Health Research at the National Institute of Mental Health. In this article, Morales discusses the challenges facing rural mental healthcare, as well as why it's important for heath care providers to understand the people and cultures they serve.

This article presents results of a study that evaluated the Kentucky Access to Recovery Program (KATR), which provides services to low-income adults recovering from opioid addiction in several rural eastern Kentucky counties.

The report provides a portrait of the health and well-being of older adults across the United States. The report covers social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors and health outcomes. It includes state-by-state summaries and county-level maps for risk of social isolation by state.

This study shows that rural patients have worse diabetic quality metrics than their urban counterparts, even when controlling for common contributing factors within the same integrated health system.

Watch a recording of the May 17, 2023 U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care. The hearing addresses improving access to high-quality, affordable healthcare in rural communities.

This article explores how social determinants of health contribute to uncontrolled blood pressure among Black adults. One conclusion: addressing the structural racism that leads to this challege requires interventions at the individual, interpersonal and institutional levels.

When the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) launched the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model in 2017, the intent was to test whether connecting Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to community resources and addressing health-related social needs (HRSNs) can improve health outcomes and reduce costs. This report provides an overview of findings from the Second Evaluation Report.

The Health Equity Roadmap is a framework to help hospitals and health care systems chart a path toward becoming more equitable and inclusive organizations.

The American Hospital Association created this toolkit for hospitals to use in educating staff about the importance of data collection, how to implement a framework to collect race, ethnicity and primary language data, and ultimately how to use these data to improve quality of care for all populations.

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.

Community health workers (CHWs) can improve health outcomes for those in the populations they serve. This blog post explores how CHWs bridge gaps between health professionals and their patients’ communities.

This article explains the differences between value-based care (VBC) programs and the traditional fee-for-service model, and discusses how patient engagement is is key to the success of VBC programs.

This article examines recent research about how new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, can be used in a post-discharge patient engagement program. New technologies could address factors beyond social determinants of health (SDOH) and address emotional, behavioral and other barriers to recovery.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. In 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will require hospitals in the Inpatient Quality Reporting program to submit two new SDOH measures. This recording provides an overview of these new measures.

In this podcast from the American Hospital Association, two heads of rural health systems explain how they're working to reach underserved communities. They also describe the steps they are taking to get to full equity.

This webinar recording, organized by Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), discusses the role health literacy plays in care coordination.

This webinar recording, organized by Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), introduces tools to address health disparities and social determinants of health that impact readmissions.

This presentation, organized by Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), discusses how a facility can identify the contributing factors that impact health equity and readmissions.

This tool, developed by Telligen, is an easy reference that can be kept on a badge reel or in a wallet to encourage the use of people-first language.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. This recording will discuss the categories of Z-codes and how they can be used to improve health care processes.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation has released an environmental scan that details the improvements made to COVID-19 testing and vaccination rates, in particular highlighting individuals who are at a disproportionate risk of contracting the virus that causes COVID-19 or experiencing related adverse outcomes because of chronic conditions.

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.

In this recorded webinar, subject-matter experts from ATW Health Solutions discuss the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards). Among other things, participants learned how to develop a plan for implementing CLAS and get leadership support for that plan.

Given the impact that remote patient monitoring (RPM) can have in addressing chronic conditions like hypertension, there is a need for more funding to improve access to proven, digital health interventions. Regulations must be revamped so health care facilities in all settings can bill for RPM.

In this recorded webinar, subject matter experts from ATW Health Solutions discussed how participants can incorporate equity-focused strategies in their quality improvement (QI) efforts.

New research from the International Journal of Aging and Human Development highlights the significant health disparities that exist among older adults that hold a General Education Development certificate and those that have a high school diploma.

This recent Boardroom Brief from the American Hospital Association Trustee Services highlights the board's role in health equity, and explains how hospital and health system boards can prioritize health equity at their organizations.

In this recorded webinar, subject matter experts from ATW Health Solutions asked attendees to consider common health disparities, discuss the potential root causes of health disparities and review the different ways they are perpetuated today. Also included: stategies for addressing health disparities.

The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute developed the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps website to give the majority of counties in the United States the data to help improve health equity in their communities. The data provides a snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work and play.

This action plan from the Veterans Health Administration is a living strategic document to achieve health equity for U.S. veterans, and is meant to be reviewed, updated and assessed regularly.

This work plan from the Health Quality Innovation Network can be used to help organizations as they work toward creating and advancing a culture of equity with strategies to consider and necessary steps for successful implementation.

This report from the Texas Health Institute presents research findings that support recommendations for advaincing oral health equity in Texas.

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

As this article reports, the medical community is increasingly recognizing how Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) can lead to health inequity. Indeed, SDoH are becoming a critical factor in payer and provider conversations about better managing health.

This guide, published by ATW Health Solutions, provides an overview of the National CLAS Standards.

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.

This intervention list, published by ATW Health Solutions, interventions that support Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS).

This guide published by ATW Health Solutions, provides an in-depth overview of Theme 1 of the National CLAS Standards.

This guide, published by ATW Health Solutions, provides an in-depth overview of Theme 3 of the National CLAS Standards.

This guide presents a comparison of Theme 1 of the National CLAS Standards with those from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Joint Commission and state regulations for long-term care facilities.

This intervention list, published by ATW Health Solutions, provides interventions that support Theme 2 of the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS).

This guide published by ATW Health Solutions, provides an in-depth overview of Theme 2 of the National CLAS Standards.

This intervention list published by ATW Health Solutions, provides interventions that support Theme 3 of the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS).

This guide presents a comparison of Theme 2 of the National CLAS Standards with those from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Joint Commission and state regulations for long-term care facilities.

This study examined the association between perceived racial-ethnic inequities in COVID-19-related health care and willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

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.

Patient backgrounds influence care quality and outcomes in burn and surgical ICUs, according to a study published in "Physician's Weekly." Tailoring health care strategies to each group's challenges can reduce disparities and costs.

This articles discusses how telehealth can lead to more equitable health care access by increasing access to cost-effective, culturally competent care for people living in disadvantaged communities.

This guide, from The Center for Racial Justice Innovation, provides a summary of when and how to use racial equity impact assessments (REIA) and sample questions to ask in a REIA.

This video, from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), highlights the importance of health literacy and cultural and linguistic competency in effective health care communication policies and practices.

David R. Williams, Ph.D., Harvard University, discusses his findings surrounding health disparities in major racial and ethnic groups, including disproportionate neonatal mortality rates, early onset health issues and life expectancy. He provides a brief history of racism in the United States and how it relates to current issues marginalized populations are facing.

This report makes the case that race must be central to the decisions made by policymakers, advocates and community leaders to close the racial health gap.

This brief highlights eight expansive health care proposals, ranging from a singular universal health care program to a Medicaid/Medicare buy-in option. The proposals vary in their policies but acknowledge the importance of increasing the expansion of health care coverage, premium subsidies and cost-sharing, and increasing health care access.

Listen to this ATW Health Solutions recorded webinar to hear from community leaders as they engage in a candid conversation about community outreach and health equity.

This article aims to shed light upon evident biases present in health care artificial intelligence (AI). The purpose is to acknowledge and draft strategies to address these biases to ensure that health care AI are ethical and when integrated, they can provide impartial and comprehensive health care.

Visit this ATW Health Solutions webpage to access educational materials health care leaders can use when training staff in how to collect Race, Ethnicity and Language (REaL) Data.

This brief summarizes how addressing social determinants through state and federal initiatives, Medicaid initiatives and provider activities demonstrates a positive effect on bridging the health care gap for low-income and marginalized communities.

This article pulls research from the National Institutes of Health and Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health that lays out health disparities that cause environmental, population and socio-environmental issues in indigenous communities.

This article discusses the effective, tested steps organizations can take to tackle their health inequities and disparities. It details how some health systems, such as Allina Health, have achieved impressive results by making health equity a systemwide strategic priority.

The Center for LGBTQ+ Health Equity (CLHE) was created to lead scientific inquiry into the physical, emotional and social health of LGBTQ+ youth, adults and families, and guide best practices for achieving health equity for this population.

This article, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is an overview on the importance of desegregated data in marginalized and underrepresented communities to better understand health disparities within subcultures.

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Culture of Health Program is proud to present a model, in collaboration with five diverse communities across the U.S., for developing community-driven health equity action plans. This page contains links to each community's completed plan, as well as lessons learned from the project.

This article frames the topic of health equity around COVID-19. With the understanding that the communities most affected by the pandemic are vulnerable populations, researchers have compiled findings from 13 different countries to address the issue of health equity during the pandemic.

This article summarizes progress made in the U.S. towards advancing health equity efforts between 1993 and 2017. Researchers found that while income disparities have worsened and measures of health equity/justice have decreased over time, the white and black gap in health has improved.

This National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Leadership Consortium recorded webinar explored opportunities to engage patients and families in care settings during the pandemic and system and policy approaches to improve health and health care equity.

This ATW Health Solutions recorded webinar discusses the role hospitals and health care systems play in decreasing health disparities to increase health equity.

This article includes information on improving health equity for LGBTQ+ populations and explores the different health inequities that this population faces.

In this podcast, host Desiree Bradley is joined by Lisa Sloane, the founder and CEO of More Inclusive Healthcare, to discuss common disparities in patient care, the importance of engaging with patients in the right way and what health care systems need to know about data collection.

In this podcast, Rise25 Co-founder, Dr. Jeremy Weisz, speaks with Dr. Knitasha Washington and Desiree Bradley about their approach toward a patient-centered health care system. They discuss the disparities within the system, how they help other organizations develop strategies for change and how they're working to create a meaningful system.

An equitable health care system is accessible and inclusive for all, yet few adopt an equity-centered design model that emphasizes inclusivity, cultural humility and empowerment. This ATW Health Solutions webinar explains this model, demonstrates its application and offers strategies to promote inclusive health care solutions.

ATW Health Solutions and Yale New Haven Health's CORE have partnered to enhance quality, safety and equity in health care by engaging patients and amplifying marginalized voices. This webinar will share insights and actions to promote equitable outcomes and eliminate disparities in the health care system.

This webinar explains how ATW Health Solutions supports Priority 3 of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Framework by enhancing the capacity of health care organizations and the workforce to reduce health care disparities.

This ATW Health Solutions webinar explores how organizations can become high performers by measuring and benchmarking their engagement and equity practices and highlighting their importance in meeting new health equity requirements from The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In this podcast, host Desiree Bradley speaks with Dr. Lyn Behnke about her journey through misdiagnosis and a heart attack, emphasizing self-advocacy and symptom awareness in women's heart health.

In this podcast, Danielle Jones, the Director of Diversity and Health Equity at the American Academy of Family Physicians, discusses the organization's work in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the medical community.

In this podcast, Rachelle Zribi and Rachel Johnson-DeRycke, Health and Senior Health Outcomes Researchers at YALE CORE, discuss their measure development processes and patient and family engagement practices.

This podcast episode features patient partner Ashley Bates-Crowley. She shares her perspective of what meaningful patient engagement and equity looks like.

ATW Health Solutions has outlined factors that contribute to engagement and equity opportunities for 2CEERIAS, a research-based project funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

In this podcast, Nikki Montgomery shares the impact of inequities and bias in health care from a patient's perspective.

In this podcast, Kevin Wake shares his journey from patient to patient advocate. He explains how to provide a welcoming environment where patients and providers can come together collaboratively to drive change in the health care industry.

In this project, leading academic researchers and advocates working at the intersection of transportation policy, equity and public health identify opportunities for creating transportation systems that promote health and equity.

Several examples of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-sponsored initiatives that address health disparities with the goal of advancing health equity.

In this podcast, Dr. Myra Parker discusses her life's work to promote indigneous health equity and brings awareness to the physical and mental health disparities that impact indigenous communities.

Disparities in the quality of care received by minority populations is well documented. This two-hour, three-lesson course gives a structured process for identifying and eliminating health disparities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color, renewing a focus on health equity. The latest toolkit developed by the American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity provides evidence-based practices that support cultural humility along with implicit bias training and education as part of its Health Equity Resources Series.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has outlined factors that may contribute to an increased risk for catching COVID-19 in certain racial or minority groups.

This podcast highlights health inequities in Black and underserved communities through the lens of the COVID-19 public health emergency and this year’s flu season, featuring Elisa Arespacochaga of the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity and Andrea Custis of the Urban League of Philadelphia.

The development of a dashboard to track racial, ethnic, and language metrics related to patients with coronavirus within the community the health care organization is essential for discovering, addressing and resolving health disparities.

Helpful measures and tools to assist organizations in identifying the right equity metrics to measure and track progress toward health equity and inclusion.

This study highlights critical findings on health disparities and inequities related to drug overdose deaths in the United States. The study suggests that evidence-based, culturally responsive overdose prevention efforts are urgently needed.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's (PCORI) Ambassador Program is a national volunteer network designed to engage healthcare stakeholders in strengthening the patient-centered outcomes research community and increasing the dissemination of PCORI-funded research. PCORI accepts applications on an ongoing basis for its Ambassador Program.

The Rural Community Health Literacy Toolkit includes evidence-based models and resources to support organizations that want to improve health literacy in rural communities across the United States. The seven modules in the toolkit contain resources and information focused on developing, implementing, evaluating and sustaining rural health literacy programs.

Many physicians who participated in a July 2020 study used telehealth for the first time during the early COVID-19 era. Most respondents found telehealth to be more effective than expected and 77% would be likely to use telehealth after the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey results were published in the American Journal of Managed Care.

In this study, conducted from June 2020 – June 2021, Miami Beach Community Health Center (MBCHC) identified methods to address hypertension using fortified protocols, advancing their approach to telemedicine and building relationships with their patients. MBCHC saw maintained blood pressure control for more than 80% of patients, with 79.1% of African American patients whose blood pressure was controlled.

"The Social Determinants of Health Data Journey to Better Outcomes" infographic from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services outlines steps to collect, report and use Z codes. It also offers directives specific to hospital administrators, coding professionals and providers regarding Z codes.

Created by Million Hearts and the National Association of Community Health Centers, this tool helps organizations achieve at least 80% blood pressure control for their African American – and all – patients with hypertension.

Created by the American Medical Association (AMA), this resource includes guidance from AMA hypertension experts and can improve blood pressure control rates by 10% and sustain results  for patients who are not pregnant and are not diagnosed with congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease or chronic kidney disease stage 3.

This report describes a three-pronged framework for reducing the number of firearm injuries and deaths.

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.

This resource from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Office of Minority Health offers a table of suggested definitions, standards and stratification practices for nine health equity-related data elements, as well as several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the purpose and usage of the document.

This infographic from the Center for Health Care Strategies highlights the importance of health literacy and key improvement steps at the organizational level.

In this American Hospital Association podcast, experts from New York’s Montefiore Medical Center share how its Community Health Worker Institute standardizes training for community health workers to help them serve effectively as a vital bridge between social and clinical care.

This article, published in the May 2024 issue of Health Affairs, examines the affect that variability in patient volume had on rural hospitals financially and operationally versus hospitals in urban settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article discusses the nuances of health disparities and provides historical context. Additionally, the article delves into the intersectionality among health, socioeconomic status, power and gender.

This infographic provides a visual representation of data that reveals the persistent disparities in health and health care for Black people.

In its first health equity report, RUSH, a prominent academic health system, provides a snapshot of patient data that helped them identify health equity gaps and opportunities. Rush is located in Chicago, IL and serves a diverse patient population.

The article shares the results of a study about the systemic racism BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) experience when seeking long-term services and supports in the United States. The authors offer several recomendations for policy changes that could address this issue.

This brief examines trends in health coverage by race and ethnicity from 2010 through 2022 and discusses the implications for health disparities.

This article examines the emphasis on health equity amid public health crises and social injustices. Among other things, the authors propose a framework to distinguish between health equity and health care equity and suggest three criteria to use when determining which health care inequities are measurable, linked to health care outcomes and can be used by health care organizations. Note: You must subscribe to read the article.

The 2023 edition of the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, assesses the effectiveness of health care systems in providing safe, high-quality and equitable care.

This infographic from the Robert Johnson Wood Foundation differentiates equality from equity. The Robert Johnson Wood Foundation is a collaboration of policymakers, community organizations, and executives who share a common goal to tackle barriers to health, including poverty, power dynamics and discrimination.

The article explores the connection between social disadvantage and low health literacy (LHL) and examines how LHL is an explanatory factor linking social disadvantage, health outcomes, and health disparities.

This report from ATW Solutions provides an overview of data disaggregation. How can disaggregated data help to better identify how health care disparities are experienced in different population groups?

This brief provides new data on the number of Medicare beneficiaries with dental coverage, the number of beneficiaries who had a dental visit in the past 12 months and out-of-pocket spending on dental care. It also takes a closer look at the scope of dental benefits offered to Medicare Advantage enrollees in individual plans in 2021.

Is your organization or facility interested in implementing a mental health program in a rural community? The Rural Health Information Hub has created an easy-to-use online toolkit that lists links to seven modules to watch to learn how to implement a mental health program along with links to additional resources.

This May 24, 2024, article from Chief Healthcare Executive lists more information regarding how hospitals can better prepare for future public health emergencies by leveraging data collection and analysis to more accurately manage their supply chain and patient load, as well as ways to invest in and retain their clinical staff.

How do you know if you may be prejudiced against a certain group or person? This article from May 30, 2024, in Tech Target, explores implicit bias and how health care professionals can incorporate training for all clinical and administrative staff in their organization, facility or practice to help make everyone aware of what implicit bias is and how to work to overcome it to provide the best care to all patients.

This May 16, 2024, blog post from the Milbank Memorial Fund describes real-life scenarios where patients who did not speak English, and who needed crucial conversations with their health care providers, did not have those conversations because there were no health care providers who spoke their language. This blog post highlights the need for health care organizations to invest in professional interpretation services to ensure all patients, regardless of their preferred language, receive the care they deserve.

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 Muslims spoken in this article were challenged in finding ways to help better themselves due to conflict of personal interest and Islamic values. The mesh between religion and medicine can help benefit many groups of people to feeling welcomed and more open to procedures and treatments by doctors.

Cultural and linguistic competency is recognized as an important strategy for improving the quality of care provided to clients from diverse backgrounds. The goal of this e-learning program is to help behavioral health professionals increase these skills.

This information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes the importance of addressing people inclusively and respectfully. The principles are intended to help public health professionals ensure their communication adapts to the specific cultural, linguistic, environmental, and historical situation of each population or audience of focus.

This report from the American Hospital Association provides information and resources for hospitals striving to address the social determinants of health and achieve health equity and diversity.

This American Hospital Association fact sheet is designed to guide hospitals’ strategies in addressing the social needs of their patients, social determinants of health in their communities and the systemic causes that lead to health inequities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights effective public health programs for addressing health disparities among specified groups in this 2016 report.

The annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report assesses the performance of the country's health care system using more than 250 outcome measures across a broad array of settings and services.

The Rural Health Redesign Center provides technical assistance to rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals interested in examining the feasibility of converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH).

This blog post from the Bipartisan Policy Center discusses rural hospital closures and describes the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) model.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is working to help build awareness about the Affordable Connectivity Program, a Federal Communications Commission program. This program is designed to help lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households struggling to afford internet service. Learn how to help eligible patients.

Use this checklist to successfully implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS). From the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This toolkit can enable organizations to implement the National CLAS Standards and improve health equity.

This Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality webpage is a repository of tools you can use to promote culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS).

This website, from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, promotes education, continuing education opportunities, and resources to learn about culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS).

This report explores the racial and ethnic disparities in rural health outcomes, highlighting rates of premature mortality and disability status of Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Asian American and Pacific Islander populations.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's SHARE Approach is a five-step process for shared decision-making that includes comparing the benefits, harms and risks of each option through meaningful patient-provider dialogue.

This website connects you to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) resources for social determinants of health (SDOH) data, research, tools for action, programs and policy. They may be used by people in public health, community organizations, research organizations, and health care systems to assess SDOH and improve community well-being.

This 1-hour, 3-lesson course is for health care providers and staff who are responsible for collecting Medicare patient data from LGBTQ persons. Such data will help providers deliver high quality and culturally competent care to LGBTQ persons. This training on This training on collecting data in clinical settings is grounded in a review of best practices.

Disparities in the quality of care received by minority populations is well documented. This 2-hour, 3-lesson course gives a structured process for identifying and eliminating health disparities. It also explains the benefits to organizations that are considering focused quality improvement efforts targeted to populations at risk for disparities.

The CMS Office of Minority Health offers a comprehensive source of information on eliminating health disparities and improving the health of all minority populations, like racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, individuals with limited English proficiency, and rural populations.

An important part of the Coverage to Care (C2C) journey is prevention. These resources focused on prevention and healthy living can be shared with consumers, reposted online, printed or ordered. C2C also has resources to help you and your family stay safe and healthy.

A language access plan can help ensure that an organization provides high quality and appropriate language services. This guide, developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, identifies ways that providers can assess their programs and develop language access plans to ensure persons with limited English proficiency have meaningful access to their programs.

This guide provides assistance in meeting the new health equity elements of performance for The Joint Commission. It provides resources and information on how hospitals can attest to each element.

The national Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards were created in 2000 to advance health equity, improve quality and help eliminate health care disparities. One specific standard, the number eight standard, calls for health care institutions to provide easy-to-understand print and multimedia materials for patients, families and the community. This was never more important than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about this standard and how to apply it in your everyday practices.

This study’s findings suggest that Medicare beneficiaries from small town and rural areas were more likely to undergo surgery for non-metastatic colon cancer than metropolitan beneficiaries. They are also more likely to undergo emergent surgery and less likely to have minimally invasive surgery. The experiences of rural patients varied by race; rurality was associated with higher postoperative mortality for Black patients but not for other racial and ethnic groups.

Physicians in geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) can get incentive payments from Medicare. Psychiatrists practicing in mental health HPSAs are also eligible. Payments are made on a quarterly basis, rather than claim-by-claim, and are handled by each area's Medicare carrier. Note: The Health Resources & Services Administration makes shortage area designations, not the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

This toolkit can help stakeholders and collaborators measure how systems and actions align across sectors to improve community health and well-being in sustainable ways.

Results of this study indicate that the pattern of rural hospital closures may have indirectly led to improved access for rural populations to other community healthcare services including Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics.

This article presents findings on efforts by rural hospitals to address social determinants of health (SDOH).

For our Nebraska Partnership for Community Health members -- Nebraska nursing students may be qualified for scholarships through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Qualified applicants will receive scholarships on a first-come, first-served basis. When scholarship recipients graduate, they must practice nursing in Nebraska for at least two years. Visit the Application for Nursing Incentives Scholarship Program for more information and to apply.

Recent studies have shown racial disparities in insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor use in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, but not many have explored this among adults with type 1 diabetes. This study, published in the January 2023 issue of Diabetes Care, showed that significant racial disparities were observed in discussions, prescribing and use of diabetes technology.

COVID-19 is challenging to explain, live through and communicate about. The materials on this webpage were created to help make communicating about COVID-19 a little easier. Choose from videos, posters, social stories and interactive activities to best meet your communication needs.

This recently updated topic guide provides an overview of health care access in rural America, including the benefits and barriers that rural residents face.

Compiled in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and other agencies, the information in this toolkit is meant to help rural areas better prepare for public health emergencies, disasters and threats.

Millions of Americans live in rural or underserved areas where there are fewer medical care facilities and doctors with specialized expertise. One doctor in New Mexico is trying to help change that with his vision dubbed "Project ECHO." Fred de Sam Lazaro reports in a partnership with the Under-Told Stories Project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

Recent studies have shown racial disparities in insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor use in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, but not many have explored this among adults with type 1 diabetes. This study, published in the January 2023 issue of Diabetes Care, showed that significant racial disparities were observed in discussions, prescribing and use of diabetes technology.

This article explains why health care providers should focus on health literacy to advance health equity for patients with limited English proficiency.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released this Call to Action to encourage partners across health care, social care, public health, government and health information technology organizations to collaborate in support of equitable health outcomes.

Watch this webinar from the Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN) to learn how factors such as social needs, transition processes, medication management and chronic conditions increase the likelihood of frequent ED visits.

The American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity biennial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Benchmark Survey provides a snapshot of hospitals’ attitudes and practices regarding diversity in the workforce; leadership and governance; equity; and inclusive policies and behavior.

This webpage provides information on the causes and effects of food insecurity, ways to take action to provide food security and how to find food banks.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage provides answers to commonly asked questions regarding elder abuse—what it is, scale of the issue, possible consequences and how to prevent.

This resource created by Health Quality Innovators (HQI) features snippets from peer hospitals explaining the steps they took toward health equity at their own institutions. Hospitals can use this resource for brainstorming ideas to get started or move forward with implementing health equity initiatives.

Hospitals can use this change path tool to create an action plan for collecting and reporting data for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' new social determinants of health (SDOH) measures.

Rural emergency hospitals grapple with how to make the move to providing 24-hour emergency care.

Self-care interventions have the potential to strengthen traditional health care systems, improving outcomes for women and other underserved populations.

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 cohort study, published in the March 2024 issue of JAMA Network Open, examines the rise of in-hospital mortality for time-sensitive conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors discuss ways hospitals in urban and rural settings may customize their approach to care for patients with these conditions to help lessen the likelihood of a greater number of deaths during future public health crises.

This May 28, 2024, article from Health Policy Watch highlights the World Health Organization's four-year plan to improve mental health, gender equality, migrant health, food safety, digital health and artificial intelligence.

This fact sheet reveals the persistent inequities facing Black Americans, Hispanic Americans and other minority popluations. Lessening such health disparities requires deliberate and sustained efforts to address social determinants of health, such as poverty, segregation, environmental degradation and racial discrimination.

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.

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors funded six organizations from across the U.S. to implement Million Hearts® strategies among priority populations to reduce health disparities and improve cardiovascular health.

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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains this website, which features the ways in which Prevention Research Centers help communities expand access to health care, increase physical activity, decrease substance use and address other health topics in rural America.

This article describes a quality improvement project undertaken to increase the percentage of patients who had a psychosocial assessment after being discharged from the hospital to a contracted skilled nursing facility.

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.

A growing proportion of nursing home residents will be Black and Hispanic, but these groups report worse care, according to this AARP Public Policy Institute article. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the extent of racial/ethnic disparities in nursing homes.

This resource presents legal strategies and best practices to help policymakers, practitioners and communities improve health outcomes.

This plan outlines the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) efforts to reduce health disparities and promote health equity.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website provides resources and information on social determinants of health and how they impact health equity.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website provides information and resources related to cultural and linguistic competency in health care.

In the Community Engagement in Early Recognition and Immediate Action in Stroke (CEERIAS) study, researchers sought to find a way for people in high-risk neighborhoods to react quickly to stroke. Researchers used the results to create an educational program that prepared community leaders and patient advocates to recognize and train others in the community on the need to “Act FAST for Stroke.”

This report shares results of a continued study about how people in high-risk neighborhoods react to stroke. The study revealed barriers to care and identified promising tactics to overcome those barriers in predominantly Black and Hispanic Chicago neighborhoods.

This article discusses the need for greater clarity about the concepts of health disparities and health equity, proposes definitions and explains the rationale based on principles from the fields of ethics and human rights.

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.

This center provides resources and training on cultural competence in health care.

This Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) toolkit identifies strategies and resources to improve health literacy and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care.

The CDC Foundation offers different resources that expand on operationalizing health equity.

The National Association of County & City Health Officials' (NACCHO) training program is for local health departments and partners to increase their understanding of health equity and social justice, as well as improve their current practices. There are three training videos focused on the politics of health equity, intersectionality and stories from public health practitioners.

This article, from the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, discusses the evolution of health equity within the Healthy People 2030 Initiative, as well as strategies, interventions, measures and future implications for the policy and practice of health equity.

This free, five-module, online course, created by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health (NCCDH) and Public Health Ontario, serves as an introductory course for public health workers and managers in building an infrastructure for knowing about health equity and how to practice it actively. The course is available in English and French.

This summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine's Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention examines income, race and ethnicity, and how these factors intersect with childhood obesity and its prevention.

This article, from the Journal of Physician Assistant Education, serves as an introduction to health educators and the role they can play in helping strengthen discussions of social determinants of health in physician assistant curricula and the influence it has on clinical care.

This article, from the Americal Journal of Health Studies, discusses the Social Cognitive Theory that offers a theoretical framework for diabetes peer education programs geared to Hispanic American women.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Disability and Health Data System, an interactive, online source of state-level data on the health and wellness of adults with disabilities. Users can access information on five functional disability types: cognitive, mobility, vision, self-care and independent living.

Partnering with patients and community members to understand needs and preferences among people of color is an important step in improving health outcomes and advancing health equity. This report includes suggestions for how health care organizations can improve relationships with patients of color to inform program and policy design.

This guide, from the American Hospital Association and the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, discusses dashboards that can provide health care leaders with the information they need to advance health equity, diversity and inclusion. A basic level dashboard can become more advanced to include measures related to supplier diversity, employee satisfaction and other areas of organizational importance.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage provides guidance and resources to promote cultural humility and community engagement.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage provides information on programs and partnerships to help promote health, prevent disease and strengthen cultural connections to improve health and wellness.

Visit this ATW Health Solutions webpage to learn about updated standards for collecting Race, Ethnicity and Language (REaL) Data. The Next-Gen Race and Ethnicity Data Collection Toolkit offers different educational materials and resources, including essential fact sheets, detailed guides and videos focused on changes to race and ethnicity data collection.

The Texas Medical Association and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have developed a course to help educate physicians/providers on how to use the CMS filing system to get paid for their work in screening patients for non-medical factors that impact care, such as food insecurity, housing instability or a lack of transportation. Those who complete the course earn 0.75 credit(s) in medical ethics and/or professional responsibility.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has outlined factors that may contribute to an increased risk for catching COVID-19 in certain racial or minority groups.

This resource helps data communicators and other data practitioners see how choices made about colors, shapes, words and representations in data analyses and visualizations can affect how people perceive the results, how change might be implemented and how that change will impact different people and communities.

This article provides resources and examples of bias-free language.

This resource aims to help change makers navigate resources focused on ending the pandemic, advancing equity and building a resilient, robust, sustainable public health system for the future.

This website provides multilingual health information for patients and health care providers.

This tool guide, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides strategies and resources to promote health equity and reduce health disparities.

This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance offers information on how health care providers can provide language access services for patients with limited English proficiency.

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) toolkit provides information and resources to promote health equity for individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders.

This organization provides reports and resources related to health equity, including reports on social determinants of health and health disparities.

This presentation discusses the unique challenges of at-risk acute stroke populations during COVID-19 and lessons learned from key strategies for developing meaningful patient and community partnerships.

This paper shares results of a study that suggests that changes in health care measurement should include the voices of those who are traditionally misrepresented.

Kellie Goodson, Chief Experience and Engagement Officer at ATW Health Solutions, presents this micro learning session about person and family engagement (PFE) as a key to organizational improvement.

Kellie Goodson, Chief Experience and Engagement Officer at ATW Health Solutions, presents this micro learning session about creating sustainable partnerships with patients, family caregivers or community members.

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Mississippi Medical Center are studying sustainable and effective Type 2 diabetes management interventions in adults who have Type 2 diabetes and sub-optimal social determinants of health. The study will enroll patients in Alabama and Mississippi to evaluate variables such as health coaching, food delivery and remote patient-monitoring to see which will help patients manage diabetes.

This flyer promotes the Patient and Family Engagement network and can be displayed in many settings.

This flyer promotes the Partnership for Community Health network and can be displayed in many settings.

This article describes the challenges in funding opioid overdose prevention programs in rural counties. Although rural areas have been disproportionately harmed by the opioid crisis, the highest amount of settlement dollars are allocated to urban counties.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health has developed this fact sheet to give health care providers more information to help them improve how they communicate with their patients and staff, and to better understand and recognize differences in communication styles.

Advancing health equity is one of five main goals in a 10-year strategic plan released by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid innovation (CMMI). This article describes progress made toward reaching this goal since CMMI unveiled its strategic plan in October 2021.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health has developed this fact sheet to give health care providers more information about different aspects of communication styles and how they tend to vary across cultures.

This article discusses how the physical and economic burdens of living with type 2 diabetes may make it harder for Medicare beneficiaries to afford, access and prepare health-promoting food.

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researched how many areas in the United States are “food deserts” - where people have limited access to food retailers providing fresh produce and healthy groceries for affordable prices. This article explores how nonprofit grocery stores offer a new approach to addressing food insecurity.

This article describes an analysis of June 2022 data from the Urban Institute's Health Reform Monitoring Survey (HRMS). The result: five percent of adults reported that transportation barriers meant they couldn't get the health care they needed. The experiences varied significantly by race/ethnicity, income, disability status, health insurance coverage, rural/urban residence and household access to a vehicle.

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.

This article analyzes design tools for advancing equity through payment. The tools and related examples correspond to four design considerations: performance measurement, spending targets, performance-based incentives and care delivery redesign.

This article describes how organizations can ensure continuous improvement, which will result in a higher "Star Rating" with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In a recorded webinar, panelists from the Primary Care Development Corporation discuss issues related to health equity.The panelists also share strategies that help health care providers assess their clients' needs in order to best respond to those needs.

The CDC Foundation produced a series of videos that address health equity as well as systems change approaches to eliminating health inequities.

This article summarizes a 2019 study that found that the population rate of emergency department visits related to substance use disorders was highest among Black non-Hispanic individuals. Understanding how this and other findings can help highlight potential inequities in care.

The United States leads other developed countries in having health care disparities between rural and urban residents. This article summarizes the results of a study published in July 2023. Note: You must create a free account with Medscape to read this report and other articles.

This form can be used to help patients and their families talk with health care providers about being admitted to a new health care setting such as a long-term care facility, in-patient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility or a long-term acute care facility.

Learn how health literacy and cross-cultural communication can help patients better manage their chronic diseases. In this TMF Quality Innovation Network presentation, Erin Carlson, DrPH., MPH, shares practical guidelines and examples of health literacy education for provider-patient encounters. She provides tools and resources you can use to implement health literacy principles within your health care organization.

This guide has a checklist of important items to discuss with your health care team when being discharged from a long-term care facility, in-patient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, or a long-term acute care facility.

Community-based organizations that can demonstrate need for an automated external defibrillator (AED) can apply for a grant to cover all or part of the costs associated with purchasing the equipment. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics providers who have a DATA 2000 waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder can apply for a one-time direct payment of $3,000. Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

This national network of clinical care teams can provide expert medical advice and COVID surge support using network enabled mobile devices. Critical care experts from around the country can assist with e-consults, remote home monitoring, relief coverage, tiered staffing, and specialty services. Applications for such assistance are accepted on an ongoing basis.

This article shares the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program’s history. Thanks to decades of work by many — federal agencies, dedicated public health experts and researchers, health policy experts, membership organizations, and the rural healthcare delivery teams themselves — RHCs now number nearly 5,200.

Beginning January 1, 2023, rural hospitals that qualify can seek the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The program aims to ensure access to critical outpatient hospital services in communities that may not have a Critical Access Hospital or small rural hospital. REH-designated facilities will get enhanced Medicare payments for certain outpatient services. This webpage has links to resources that explain the program.

Access to health care is limited in rural Texas. This article describes how a mobile medical unit operated by a Federally Qualified Health Center helps meet the needs of the underserved in rural communities in eastern Texas.

After comparing the structure, capabilities and payment reform participation in a variety of settings, a key finding in this study is that despite challenges, Medicare patients may be able to adequately get primary care services in rural settings.

Among other things, this study finds that, on average, rural populations are older than urban populations, and the proportion of older adults is increasing more quickly in rural communities. The majority of older adults would prefer to remain in their own home as they age, but older adults living alone in rural areas are at risk of social isolation, loneliness and unsafe living conditions

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, new and revised requirements to reduce health care disparities will apply to organizations in the Joint Commission’s ambulatory health care, behavioral health care and human services, critical access hospital, and hospital accreditation programs. This report provides the rationale and references that The Joint Commission employs in the development of new requirements.

A report highlighting the racial and ethnic disparities related to social determinants of health, specifically rates of poverty, broadband access, education and insurance of Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in rural and urban areas.

Download this manual from the Medicare Learning Network to learn about payment, visit and service changes that went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, for rural health clinics. There are also specific updates related to hospice visits, transitional care management, COVID-19 monoclonal antibody products and mental health care telehealth visits.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity has released two videos that speak to the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, how communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and how it is important to get vaccinated to protect themselves and loved ones from the virus. The videos are available in English and Spanish.

This guide from the American Hospital Association (AHA) can aid hospitals in adding social needs data to hospital claims, which enables system-wide research to gain a better understanding of the health-related social needs of patients and communities around the country.

In this presentation, TMF staff discuss how health equity strategies may help organizations reduce hospital readmissions.

In this video, Sparta Community Hospital describes how it worked to identify the social determinants of health in its community. Sparta listened to their community and added a mobile clinic to increase the accessibility of primary care to address barriers and advance health equity.

A paper written by The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry presents a framework of how care coordination can successfully be achieved through health information technology systems and reduce structural racism and discrimination for ADRD patients and their caregivers.

Health care organizations have the power to address inequities in health outcomes directly at the point of care, and to influence many of the determinants that create inequities. This Institute for Healthcare Improvement white paper provides a five-part framework to improve health equity; a case study of an organization that has strategically integrated this work throughout their system; and a self-assessment tool to gauge current efforts and develop an action plan.

Understanding health coverage can be confusing, but the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making it easier through its Coverage to Care (C2C) initiativer. CMS released updated resources in several languages to help patients understand their coverage and get services.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is assessing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health care system is prepared for addressing future emergencies. Visit the CMS website for details of what CMS calls "a cross-cutting initiative" to streamline the process used to reestablish health and safety standards. CMS will identify barriers and opportunities for improvement using a health equity lens.

Learn about the population health initiatives at Jefferson Healthcare, a rural health system located in Port Townsend, Washington. The virtual event, held in November 2021,shared the strategy for population health and equity in a critical access hospital. An event recording, slides, and a Change Path document listing key takeaways and additional resources are available.

This article explores how rural chief financial officers (CFOs) and hospital administrators perceive the financial impacts of telehealth in their facilities. Analyzes 30 interview responses from CFOs and administrators between October 2021 and January 2022 about the perceived benefits and challenges of telehealth programs/ The article also discusses opportunities to improve telehealth infrastructure to make the modality more cost effective for hospitals.

Health care providers are required to offer everyone access to medical services without discrimination on the basis of disability. Use this guide to learn how to work with your provider to get the care you need. This guides is part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' C2C Coverage to Care series.

The Black community tops the list of groups afflicted by hypertension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure and cancer. In this podcast, Dr. Richard Walker offers a number of commonsense ways to prevent, manage and possibly eliminate these killers, turning the tide of African-American health.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has identified some of the SDoH that have been found to contribute to people developing kidney disease. There are many environmental, medical, and social factors that contribute to an increased risk of developing kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease or CKD.

This article shares unique strategies hospitals are taking to reduce health disparities in underserved communities. The idea is to look at patient health rather than health care, working with community partners to have lasting success.

This article highlights the Advancing Integrated Models (AIM) program and the gains pilot sites have made in pursuing person-centered approaches for delivering medical, behavioral health and social services.

This article explores food insecurity and the impact nutrition-related diseases have on health inequity and health care costs in the US and globally. The article also offers potential interventions to address nutrition security in different populations.

This guide promotes the ideal that all people have a right to live a healthy, tobacco-free life, regardless of their race, level of education, gender identity, sexual orientation, the job they have, the neighborhood they live in or whether or not they have a disability. The guide focuses on programs and intervention that have shown evidence of effectiveness.

In this strategic plan, the National Institutes of Health explains how it hopes to grow and sustain diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) across all of the agency's activities. The strategic plan has three objectives: enhancing DEIA through structural and cultural change; implementing organizational practices to center and prioritize DEIA in the biomedical and behavioral research workforce and advancing DEIA through research.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to recognize, for the first time, that homelessness impacts resource utilization in the acute inpatient hospital setting. CMS is also proposing that rural emergency hospitals could be designated as graduate medical education training sites.

This topic guide introduces Rural Health Disparities and can be used as a reference that collects the “best of the best” resources, such as selected documents, organizations, tools, funding opportunities, news items, events and program examples.

This policy brief includes an analysis of the current rural health care status and offers policy and action recommendations.

This article describes how two communities, in two states, created a home-health model to address rural health needs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved an amendment to Arkansas' Medicaid section 1115 demonstration. The approved amendment will address various health-related social needs among targeted populations.

This article addresses food insecurity, the ways in which it affects patients' health outcomes and how nutritional awareness can reduce vulnerabilities, address health equity and drive value-based care.

The hospital-at-home model became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care organizations, as a result, provided care in patient homes. This article explores why health care organizations continue to rely on hospital-at-home models, even while in-person care has resumed.

Medicare patients can get emergency care and other services at rural emergency hospitals (REH) on an outpatient basis. This article lists the criteria a facility must meet to be considered an REH, along with information about how to bill for such services.

This article focuses on a "Health Affairs" study that found a link between food insecurity and missed workdays and overnight hospital stays among U.S. adults with diabetes.

This article focuses on some of the barriers that minorities face when trying to manage their Type 2 diabetes. These barriers include lack of diabetes education, as well as limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables and transportation to health care services.

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.

This infographic from American Hospital Association data shows how hospitals are addressing social needs of their patients. In surveys, 87% of hospitals reported that their health systems screen some patients for social needs and that, on average, hospitals have 19 types of external partnerships to support population and/or community health.

Pharmacists at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) 2023 Annual Meeting discussed the role of data collection and analysis in the movement toward health equity. Panelists emphasized that a variety of data needs to be collected, including race, ethnicity, language, SDOH, geography, disabilities, sexual orientation and gender identification information. All of these factors play a role in narrowing the gaps in health care.

This article describes the diverse rural and remote populations across the nation, highlighting sources of strength and struggle for rural Americans and rural health care providers. The article also explores approaches to disaster behavioral health in rural and remote areas.

Community engagement is key in developing and implementing strategies to improve health, increase value and drive equitable care delivery. This resource guide provides rural health care leaders with a variety of toolkits, strategies and information to help initiate, improve and inspire community engagement strategies that support value.

This article addresses how social determinants of health (SDOH) increase or decrease the risk of poor health outcomes and why doing so is critical to improving the nation’s health and wellbeing.

LaVarne Burton, president and chief executive officer of the American Kidney Fund, was part of an expert panel that discussed efforts to ensure that all people have access to the most effective kidney care. The webinar was hosted by the U.S. News and World Report.

People with limited resources and incomes may be eligible to participate in the Extra Help program. In addition to the Fact Sheet, information about the Extra Help program can be found at https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/help/drug-costs.

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.

In this recorded webinar, a representative from the Joint Commission described how organizations can use its standards to measure and improve performance. Participants also reviewed the new national patient safety goal geared toward promoting equity and explored strategies for reaching that goal.

This report provides additional information about the 2023 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Health Equity Conference, its attendees, themes and more resources about health equity and CMS.

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.

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.

This Data Highlight report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid analyzes the use of Z codes for social determinants of health data in a sample of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees drawn from a single, nationwide insurer from 2016 through 2019, which shows low rates of Z code utilization in MA at the enrollee and claims-level.

This resource from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) can help providers better understand the use of Z codes to improve the quality and collection of health equity data. Using social determinants of health, Z codes can enhance quality improvement activities, track factors that influence people’s health and provide further insight into existing health inequities.

This Jan. 2, 2024, article from The Dallas Observer highlights the success of the RIGHT Care Unit, which consists of an interdisciplinary team of first responders and health care professionals who respond to 911 calls from individuals experiencing behavioral health crises across the Dallas metro area.

This tool from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) 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.

In this video, Dr. Erin Carlson, from The University of Texas at Arlington, discusses the root causes of disparities and inequities in the health care system that contribute to emergency department usage.

In this recorded webinar, subject matter experts from ATW Health Solutions shared ideas and strategies to help participants consider how to make health equity a strategic priority.

This annual report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality summarizes the status of health care delivery in the United States, providing a statistical portrait of how effectively health care delivery systems provide safe, high-quality and equitable care to Americans.

In this recorded presentation, Maria De La Cruz, MPA, shares how Harris Health System in Houston, Texas, implemented the "Food Farmacy" program to address food insecurity among its patients. The presentation identifies the resources and support needed to successfully implement similar programs.

This guide from the American Hospital Association (AHA) describes the link between food insecurity and adverse health issues and outlines clinical and nonclinical approaches that hospitals and health systems can use to reduce food insecurity and the stigma often associated with it.

This guide presents a comparison of Theme 3 of the National CLAS Standards with those from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Joint Commission and state regulations for long-term care facilities.

This report highlights how bolstering the civic infrastructure can help minimize structural barriers like policies, laws and practices that can create obstacles to social and economic opportunities for good health.

This collection of health literacy fact sheets from the Center for Health Care Strategies can help stakeholders understand, assess and improve health literacy practices in their organizations and communities.

Food as Medicine (FAM) is becoming recognized as having therapuetic potential, especially for those with chronic diseases.

Community health worker (CHW) programs may improve health outcomes, increase quality of life, reduce hospitalizations and cost of care. However, knowledge is limited on how to scale evidence-based CHW programs to maximize their public health outcomes.

This article describes a protocol that can help researchers select and implement Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) measures for use in research studies. The availability of recommended measurement protocols for SDoH will enable investigators to consistently collect data for SDoH constructs.

This article explains why the Chief Health Equity Officer is becoming a crucial voice in how health care workers understand and mitigate health disparities. This role blurs traditional health care spheres of influence and boundaries of hierarchies and silos.

Project 2VIDA! is a multidisciplinary collaborative of academic researchers, community members and clinicians who want to foster partnerships to reduce the burden of COVID-19 in Hispanic and Black communities across Southern California. This article explores how the collaborative was received by community members.

ATW’s REAL Data Collection Analysis Template helps health care organizations examine the completeness of their race, ethnicity, and language (REAL) data and uncover potential areas of improvement.

This video provides instructions on how to use the ATW’s REAL Data Collection Analysis Template.

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.

Watch this webinar recording featuring representatives from the Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation as they share efforts of their System Health Equity Advisory Council and Delta Disparities Committee to promote positive health outcomes for patients in the Mississippi Delta.

Visit the National Minority Heallth Month website to explore resources created for the April 2024 conference. The theme: Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections.

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.

Here are quick, accessible resources to validate community demographic data. Use these links to validate that REAL data your organization has collected aligns with your community data.

Use this tool to validate that REAL data your organization has collected aligns with your community data.

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.

To reduce readmissions, hospitals must communicate with external health care providers to identify and overcome gaps in inpatient care. Learn how a multi-disciplinary team at Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana, Texas, worked with external health care providers to reduce readmissions.

In this recorded webinar, behavioral health subject matter experts discuss the barriers people with mental health and substance use disorders face when seeking tobacco cessation and recovery services. The webinar also introduces tobacco cessation apps and guidelines that can be used to evaluate these tools.

Good communication is essential for improving access to health care that respects every patient's linguistic and cultural needs. This success story shares the strategies health care providers and staff used to reduce language barriers at Rankin County Hospital District, in Rankin, Texas.

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.

Watch this recorded presentation to hear learn more about improving communication to enhance care coordination. Subject matter experts also discuss how to identify and develop partnerships with community-based organizations.

These data equity principles provide a framework for a shift in thinking about how equity-mindedness throughout the entire data life cycle can shape and create more equitable data systems.

This resource is a framework to help foundation leaders comprehensively analyze their institutions’ impact in advancing equity.

This article explores how the Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (TCC) for Health Disparities Research at Morehouse School of Medicine applied a "health equity lens" to health policy research, development and implementation.

The guide aims to help in the strategy development process with a clear understanding of which stakeholders to engage, why stakeholder input matters and how to engage stakeholders.

This website, a Human Impacts Partner Project, is structured around a set of strategic practices that health departments can apply to more meaningfully and comprehensively advance health equity.

Part of a campaign from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Greater than COVID and the Black Coalition Against COVID, this video is designed to dispel misinformation and provide accessible facts about the vaccine from Black health care workers.

Learn how to identify, prioritize and take action on health disparities in your organization with this resource guide from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Children and youth with special healthcare needs require more care for their physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional differences than their typically developing peers. A special healthcare need can include physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, as well as long-standing medical conditions.

Use Vaccines.gov to find COVID-19 and flu vaccine providers near you and additional vaccine-related information

This is a tip sheet for providers on new CDC adult vaccine recommendations for Hepatitis B, Zoster (shingles), Pneumococcal, preferred flu vaccines for adults 65 and older, along with tools to help adults catch up on needed vaccinations.

The Guide for Community Partners is a resource for organizations with community-level reach that are looking to get engaged in or support COVID-19 vaccination confidence and access in racial and ethnic minority communities.

This report summarizes a June 2022 summit held with experts in rural healthcare policy and health equity, among others, to explore how small rural hospitals and Rural Health Clinics can achieve health equity. While discussing the challenges, the report also shares best practices and innovative models in promoting health equity in rural areas.

This study examines how Medicare beneficiaries used out-of-state telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, from January to June 2021. One finding: out-of-state telemedicine visits were common and used most by patients who live near state borders or in rural communities. Therefore, limitations on out-of-state telemedicine care may disrupt many existing patient-clinician relationships in primary care and mental health treatment.

This tip sheet lists Z codes that can help practices identify unmet needs and barriers of patients.

This article explores study results that found when future family medicine (FM) providers do their residencies in rural areas, they are more likely to consider eventually practicing in rural areas. Findings further suggest increasing the amount of rural exposure during FM residencies may be a way to strengthen future rural primary care workforce supply.

In this cross-sectional study, U.S. rural counties had the highest overall diabetes mortality rate. The determinants of persistent rural disparities, in particular for rural men and for adults in the rural South, require investigation.

The Community Health Center Capital Fund LoanPLUS Program provides loans and technical assistance designed to smaller health centers and those with limited financial resources. Health centers in the United States and U.S. Territories that have not been able to access financing through conventional lenders are encouraged to apply. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

This article provides an overview of challenges rural LGBTQ+ populations face in getting physical and mental health care. The respondents, representatives from 14 LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, noted that lack of resources and cultural competency in rural areas are among the main hurdles to overcome.

This Resource Guide provides an inventory of federal grants that may be used to serve the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities.

This policy brief documents the burden of public stigma associated with mental illness in rural communities compared with non-rural areas. Among the findings: female respondents held more positive attitudes towards recovery than did their male counterparts, while older respondents held more negative stereotypes than did younger respondents.

This document provides an overview of the current hunger, nutrition and health landscape in the United States. The report outlines a national strategy to address hunger and diet-related diseases and disparities.

This report outlines a national support strategy for family caregivers of all ages, including elderly adults, people with disabilities and people with chronic conditions, among others. The report also discusses recommendations for caregivers who live in rural and underserved areas. The Administration for Community Living, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, commissioned the report.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing free vials of monkeypox vaccine for projects seeking to address vaccination disparities among priority population groups most affected by the disease. The CDC recommends requesting up to 100 vials. Proposals must be submitted through state or territorial health departments, tribal governments, federally funded tribal healthcare facilities, or cities currently getting monkeypox vaccines through the Strategic National Stockpile.

Apply to become a Healthy People 2030 Champion. Healthy People 2030 Champions are a diverse array of public and private organizations that promote strengthening and evaluating efforts to improve the health and well-being of all people. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Healthy People Champions are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2030 project.

This tool is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. There is also a Tribal Version available. The tool explains what health coverage is and how to use it to get primary care and preventive services for you and your family.

This resource from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health provides an update to past-published data focused on Z code claims for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.

This report seeks to engage all people in a linked, multilevel effort to create a health literate society. The action plan identifies seven overarching goals and highest priority strategies that should be pursued to achieve health literacy.

This tool helps patients to be more engaged in prevention, decision making and self-management by calling health care providers to approach all patients as if they are at risk for not understanding health information, employ a range of strategies for clear communication and confirm patients understand what providers are saying.

This workbook from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is aimed at public health practitioners and partners interested in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) in order to promote health and achieve health equity. It was created to encourage and support the development of new and the expansion of existing, initiatives and partnerships to address the SDOH inequities.

QIN-QIOs will help providers develop a CLAS implementation action plan using the "An Implementation Checklist for the National CLAS Standards" checklist, developed by the U.S. Health and Human Services department.See pages 4-8.

This webpage offers many resources in English and Spanish for the Latinx/Hispanic communities to help raise awareness about mental health. Mental Health America (MHA) develops materials and content that work to bridge the gap in knowledge about mental health conditions with the goal of normalizing conversations around mental health in the Latinx/Hispanic communities.

This self-directed training course is designed for physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. With growing concerns about racial and ethnic disparities in health and about the need for health care systems to accommodate increasingly diverse patient populations, cultural competence is a matter of national concern. This e-learning program will equip health care providers with competencies that will enable them to better treat the increasingly diverse U.S. population.

Behavioral health care usually starts with a screening and diagnosis. It includes treatment, recovery services and support. Use this guide to learn how to use your health coverage to improve your mental health. This guide is part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' C2C Coverage to Care series.

This article discusses some of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' policies to support rural providers, improve access to care in rural areas and support the transformation of the rural health delivery system.

This article highlights a rural Arizona health clinic's efforts to increase vaccination rates and improve access to other health services. Approaches include offering childhood immunizations at dental clinics, adding more walk-in hours at health clinics, and reaching farmworkers with mobile medical and dental clinics.

New National Institutes of Health data documents rural-urban health disparities, with this latest study finding that those living in rural regions are 19% more likely to develop heart failure than those living in urban areas. The study, published in JAMA Cardiology, also found that Black men living in rural areas were 34% more likely to develop heart failure than Black men in urban areas.

This article addresses how social determinants of health (SDOH), such as food and housing insecurity can directly increase the burden of other blood vessel diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. Exploring and understanding the relationship between peripheral artery disease (PAD) and negative social determinants of health (SDOH) in older Black adults could lead to earlier diagnoses.

This Q&A fact sheet provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation.

In this article, Dr. Meena Seshamani, director, Center of Medicare, discusses the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' efforts to grow participation in Accountable Care Organizations, where groups of providers come together to provide more holistic care of their populations, taking accountability for the quality and cost of care

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.

This measure for hospitals to evaluate communication for transitions of care during emergency department (ED) transfers is particularly relevant for critical access hospitals (CAHs). The measure is included in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP). The goal of MBQIP is to improve the quality of care provided in CAHs by increasing quality data reporting that will drive quality improvement activities based on the data.

Rural health policy experts, researchers and clinicians review the impact of the Rural Health Clinic Services Act of 1977 on outpatient healthcare delivery in rural America.

This new topic guide features resources and information regarding the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). The guide describes the contribution different payers make to rural healthcare, payment systems and related facility types in rural areas and how payment policies impact rural facilities' financial sustainability.

The results of this survey study suggest that rural hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals and Safety Net Hospitals are not doing more and, in some cases, are engaging in fewer strategies to address the Social Determinants of Health of their vulnerable populations, especially regarding community partnerships.

Access to health care is limited in rural Texas. The mobile clinic operated by Beaumont-based TAN Healthcare aims to close that gap.

A public health crisis is growing more acute in rural America, affecting individuals with both Medicaid and Medicare (the “dually eligible”). Rural residents suffer a “rural mortality penalty,” with rurality and poverty as predictors of mortality. Among the social determinants are hospital closures, workforce shortages, migration to urban centers, inadequate transportation and limited access to broadband internet. Perhaps most affected are cultural minority populations and indigenous peoples.

Recent research finds that, on average, rural populations are older than urban populations, and the proportion of older adults is increasing more quickly in rural communities. While most older adults want to stay in their own homes as they age, older adults living alone in rural areas can be socially isolated and lonely. n, loneliness, and unsafe living conditions.

This article announces the Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity (CARHE) inauguration. CARHE will focus on identifying and addressing persistent health disparities through collaboration and will engage with the community to better understand the issues people face when accessing health care.

This fact sheet provides an overview of telehealth policies for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). The fact sheet covers originating and distance sites, reimbursement and services outside the FQHC. It includes a chart of FQHC Medicaid telehealth reimbursement eligibility by state.

This toolkit compiles evidence-based and promising models and resources to support organizations implementing emergency planning, response and recovery efforts in rural communities across the United States.

This article describes the role of State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) in relation to state Primary Care Offices (PCOs), highlighting New Hampshire's Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. The article also discusses collaboration between SORHs and other state offices and the unique challenges of supporting rural health.

This recently updated topic guide provides resources and information about healthcare and population health issues in remote and sparsely populated areas. It also features a new FAQ on health-related infrastructure challenges in rural areas.

This article highlights efforts to incorporate traditional Native American medicine and spiritual practices alongside Western medicine through Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities, focusing on this work in the Navajo Nation. The article describes issues of intergenerational trauma and mental health struggles and barriers to mental health services for Native people in Arizona.

Beginning in 2020 as a part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Quality Improvement Contract (HQIC), the Eastern US Quality Improvement Collaborative (EQIC) initiative supports participating hospitals' improvement work with education, tools, resources and direct project management support. This EQIC page offers information, tools, resources, webinars and focus areas targeting equity in the care of all patients.

This article explores reactions to the news that St. Mark's Medical Center in La Grange, Texas, become a Rural Emergency Hospital. It was a surprise of many local people who worry that the move adds more barriers to health care for the residents in Fayette County, Texas, where La Grange is located.

This article explores how communities can address health care disparities by using funding to build health worker programs. The article focuses on six rural counties involved in the University of Kansas Medical Center's Local Health Equity Action Teams initiative.

This article explores how community health workers (CHWs) help ensure patients are well cared for and provider practices meet benchmarks. CHWs have a deep understanding of the communities they serve and, as a result, can address social determinants of health (SDOH) that often lead to disparities. CHWs also provide education, advocacy, and outreach opportunities for community members.

Listen to this Marketplace report about how one small, rural hospital in Texas struggles to stay afloat as operating expenses rise, but patient volume declines

Watch the first of a three-part webinar series on rural emergency preparedness. The webinar features four panelists who share tips on how to collaborate and form partnerships in their communities.

This article shares results of a study that examined how critical access hospitals — facilities with 25 or fewer beds located more than 35 miles from another hospital — and other rural providers have partnered to overcome their challenges to providing quality health care to people in their communities.

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.

This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) webpage offers information and resources on which preventive health care services are available at no cost under most health coverage.

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) infographic discusses health disparities among people with limited English proficiency and relevant resources.

This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data highlight discusses the future medical needs and challenges of America's growing Hispanic population.

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.

This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stratified report discusses racial, ethnic and gender differences in health care experiences and quality of care for Medicare Advantage enrollees.

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.

Medicare beneficiaries with dementia could have better access to coordinated care under a model announced in August 2023 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

When the pandemic was at its peak, Medicare expanded its coverage of telehealth visits. Most of the coverage expansions are temporary and scheduled to expire at the end of 2024. This article explores how audio-only telehealth visits, which will continue to be covered by Medicare, enhances access to mental heath and other care.

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.

This resource helps health care leaders plan training for clinical staff who must collect data on the social determinants of health; several sample workflows are presented to assist in planning training.

This article discusses the challenges that people in rural communities face when accessing health care services, including when trying to get recommended vaccinations. The article also highlights strategies that have been successful in helping people overcome those challenges.

This resource provides scripting options clinical staff can use to communicate with patients when gathering Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) information.

This article explains the differences between value-based care (VBC) programs and the traditional fee-for-service model, and discusses how patient engagement is is key to the success of VBC programs.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. This recording reviews the five domains of SDOH identified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid for hospitals to screen.

This checklist, from the Eastern U.S. Quality Improvement Collaborative (EQIC), can help hospital staff assess how well the hospital has incorporated health equity best practices in its operations.

Watch the fourth webinar in the Health Equity webinar series. In this webinar, subject-matter experts with ATW Health Solutions answered questions and furthered explore health equity issues.

Health equity is a central focus of the Healthy People initiative. Healthy People 2030 offers tools and resources to support efforts to advance health equity and now features disparities data for many objectives. Health care providers and others can track changes in health disparities, over time, to see where the nation is improving and where increasing health equity efforts need to be improved.

The Think Cultural Health (TCH) newsletter raises awareness of culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in health and health care.

Strategic collaboration allows rural organizations to combine resources and expertise to improve care and patient outcomes. This article shares the story of a strategic collaboration that surveyed community health needs assessments, provided technical assistance to community health centers and connected patients to food and housing, and much more.

This editorial provides an overview of rural health disparities and the healthcare needs of rural communities. The article discusses ways in which technology and artificial intelligence may offer needed services. Presents models and infrastructure necessary to implement improvements.

This video event from the Indiana Hospital Association focuses on the use of Z codes and the impact on social drivers of health.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health created the CLAS Behavioral Health Implementation Guide to underscore the ways the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (CLAS) can improve behavioral health access, promote behavioral health programs and practices, and ultimately reduce disparities in mental health and substance abuse treatment for underserved minority communities.

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.

This form can be used to help patients and their families talk with health care providers about being admitted to a new health care setting such as a long-term care facility, in-patient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility or a long-term acute care facility.

This guide has a checklist of important items to discuss with your health care team when being discharged from a long-term care facility, in-patient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, or a long-term acute care facility.

Providers can use this form when they want to refer Spanish-speaking patients to cardiac rehabilitation.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will increase payments to hospitals that treat patients who experiencing homelessness. Payments will also increase for hospitals that implement heath equity quality measures.