Health Policy Implications for Reducing Health Disparities'

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Health Policy Implications for Reducing Health
Disparities.

• Presented to George Mason University
• School of Public Policy
• Colloquium Series
• Thursday October 28, 2004
• by Dr. Gail C. Christopher, D.N. Director
• Joint Center
• Health Policy Institute

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Disparity can be defined as condition or fact of
being unequal as in age, rank or degree.
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We need an annual report to measure whether we
are making progress in ending racial disparities
in health care and improving the quality of life
for all Americans
--Rep. Danny K. Davis (D.IL)
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AHRQ NHDR examines national disparities in both
ability to access and in quality of health care.
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NHDR Key Findings

• Inequality in quality persists
• Disparities come at a personal and societal
  price.
• Differential access may lead to disparities in
  quality.

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NHRD Key Findings (cont.)

• Opportunities to provide preventive care are
  frequently missed
• Knowledge of why disparities exist is limited
• Data limitations hinder targeted improvement
  efforts.

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Racial Gap in Early LifeMortality Rates for
Whites and Minorities, 2000
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Racial Gaps in Mid Life
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Racial Gaps in Late Life
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Challenges

• Hold Public Sector Leaders Accountable for
  Policies and Programs That Produce Measurable
  Improvements in Health Outcomes
• Optimize Capacity of Community Health Centers to
  Serve Populations in Need
• Create Incentives To Diversify Health-Care
  Workforce Immediately
• Create Cost Saving Strategies that Do No Harm

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Innovation The Hope Factor

• Doing the same thing in the same way and
  expecting different outcomes amounts to.
• Innovation is needed in health care
  organizations.
• Creating cultures that move organizations to new
  missions and greater effectiveness, efficiently.

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Cultural Competence

• A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and
  policies that come together in a system, agency,
  or among professionals and enables that system,
  agency or those professionals to work effectively
  in cross-cultural situations. (Cross et al.,
  1989 Isaacs Benjamin, 1991).

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Operational Definition

• Cultural competence is the integration and
  transformation of knowledge about individuals and
  groups of people into specific standards,
  policies, practices and attitudes used in
  appropriate cultural settings to increase the
  quality of services thereby producing better
  outcomes (Davis,K., 1997).