Disparities

Linking Race and Ethnicity Data with Inpatient Quality of Care Measures
Sponsor:  Health Research and Educational Trust
October 1, 2004 - August 3, 2006
Principal Investigator:  Joel Weissman, Ph.D.

To date, very little has been done to actively engage and motivate health care providers in the task of measuring and publicly reporting disparities.  Yet evidence indicates that quality improvement efforts, when linked to data on race and ethnicity, can improve quality of care and reduce disparities.

We will work with the University Healthsystem Consortium (UCH) and closely with three private hospitals, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Henry Ford Health System, to collect and analyze the ten CMS quality measures stratified by race, ethnicity, and primary language.  In addition, we will be implementing and testing the feasibility of the Uniform Framework for collecting race, ethnicity, and primary language data at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.


Environmental Scan and Applicability of Cultural Compentence as a Tool to Reduce Racial and Ethic Disparities in Quality of Care
Sponsor:  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
January 2006 - August 2006
Principal Investigator:  Joe Betancourt, MD

This project will seek to provide an integrated, interactive organizational consultation to RWJF focused on the area of cultural competence in health care. It will emphasize the role of cultural competence as a mechanism of reducing racial and ethnic disparities in quality of care, as well as assist the Disparities Team in understanding how they can incorporate these issues into their interactions with each other, and the grant making process. The goals of our consultation will be to: 1) Present the evidence for and against “cultural competence” training as a quality improvement tool, including current perspectives from the field;  2) Assist team members to better understand their own perspectives regarding culture and bias, and how this may influence their interactions with each other, and grantees;  3) Provide a framework by which the Disparities Team and the RWJF can be culturally competent in its grant making (current and future portfolio), as well as develop metrics by which this can be assessed and monitored within the organization.


Closing the Gap on Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities Grant Program Evaluation
Sponsor:  Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts
October 1, 2005 - September 30, 2008
Principal Investigators:  Joe Betancourt, MD & Robin Weinick, Ph.D.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation program “Closing the Gap on Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities” aims to enhance access and improve the quality of care provided to racial/ethnic minority populations that are affected by disparities. The Disparities Solutions Center is working with grantees by teaching and leading the development of a shared evaluation framework using the Results Based Accountability Framework.  The Center is also providing technical assistance with evaluation to grantees during their 3-year grant period.


Policy Briefs: Cultural Competence, Health Disparities and Quality of Care
Sponsor:  The California Endowment
Principal Investigator:  Joe Betancourt, MD

The Disparities Solutions Center is preparing two manuscripts that address current issues in the field of cultural competence, quality, and racial/ethnic disparities in health care.  Providing robust evidence from the medical literature, foundation reports, and other sources, these papers will be targeted toward influencing policy, practice, and end-users in the healthcare community. To facilitate the transition from publication to public action, the Center will also develop a dissemination plan for the findings, reaching out to a wide audience of key health care decision makers.


Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Delaware
Sponsor: The Division of Public Health, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
January 2006 - June 2006
Principal Investigator:  Joe Betancourt, MD

The State of Delaware under the leadership of Governor Ruth Ann Minner and through its Division of Public Health has embarked on several initiatives to address conditions where significant racial and ethnic disparities exist, including cancer and infant mortality. The Disparities Solutions Center is being asked to provide:

1. targeted educational activities for Delaware Division of Public Health, its Office of Minority Health and other key stakeholders within the Department of Health and Social Services;
   
2. identify strategies to eliminate racial/ethnic disparities in cancer.
   
   
   

The Disparities Project: Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Boston
Sponsor:  Boston Public Health Commission
October 1, 2005 -October 31, 2006
Principal Investigators:  Joe Betancourt, MD & Robin Weinick, Ph.D.

The Center will develop a tool kit for training hospital and CHC registrars specific to the needs of the BPHC’s anticipated implementation of a data collection policy regarding race, ethnicity, and language for all hospitals; conduct train-the-trainer sessions; facilitate an afternoon discussion on the clinical quality measures selected by the grantees; provide technical assistance to grantees and provide a list of suggested contacts for addressing MIS issues.