Successful Strategies for
Reducing Health Care
Disparities:
p
Testing
g the
Healthcare Equity Blueprint
Sari Siegel-Spieler, Ph.D.
Academy Health Disparities Research Interest Group
Boston, MA | June 26, 2010
What is the “Blueprint”?

Created by NPHHI, the Office of Minority Health, the
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and the
Mass General Disparities Solutions Center in 2008.
- Process guided by expert panel
A “change package” (in IHI-speak)
 Articulation of high-level goals around health care
disparities reduction, and actionable strategies to
supportt each
h goall

2
5
5-pronged
d approach
h
1.
C ea e partnerships
Create
pa e s ps with community,
co
u y, patients,
pa e s, &
families
2.
Build diversity & equity into the governance &
leadership system
3.
Provide evidence-based and culturally/linguistically
appropriate care for all
4.
Establish equity
q y measures
5.
Communicate in the patient’s language & within
his/her cultural expectations
3
4
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Other Toolkits for Hospitals
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improving Quality and Achieving Equity: A Guide for
Hospital Leaders (UMass)
One Size Does Not Fit All (Joint Commission)
R d
Roadmap
(Joint
(J i t C
Commission)
i i )
Diversity Certification Standards (NCQA)
C lt
Cultural
l & Li
Linguistic
i ti C
Competency
t
TTools
l (G
(Georgetown)
t
)
NQF’s Cultural Competency Standards
6
Hospitals we Interviewed
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


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University of New Mexico Hospital
Alameda County Medical Center (Bay Area, CA)
Nassau University Medical Center (Long Island, NY)
Cooper Green (Birmingham, AL)
New York City Health & Hospital Corporation (NY)
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Strategies: Common Themes







Many hospitals now using Blueprint sent staff to
UMass / DSC’s DLP program
Step one: self-assessment
Created task force to review data
Led by passionate champion
Ensured executive leadership
p support
pp
Developed clear business case
Stratifying
y g CMS core measures by
y race & ethnicity
y
8
Focus on CEO Buy-In
Pushing the business case: not just “the right thing to
do”
- Disparities result in increased medical errors,
prolonged LOS, avoidable hospitalizations and
readmissions, and overuse of procedures.
- Measuring disparities and taking steps to eliminate
them does not imply an admission of racism.
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Examples of Success
Bellevue Hospital’s spike in asthma incidence
among Asians linked to Chinatown
Chinatown’ss proximity to
WTC’s Ground Zero
 Nassau University Medical Center’s
Center s Hispanic
prenatal care measures inspired its baby wellness
program
 Cooper Green’s data on unmet language needs
prompted university partnership for foreignl
language
major
j “
“medical
di l ttranslator”
l t ” certification
tifi ti

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How can you access the Blueprint?
Download from www.nphhi.org
www nphhi org or
 Email: ssiegel@naph.org


Questions?
Thank you.
you
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