The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) collaborated with a wide variety of partners to support work in all three areas of its path to equity: increasing the understanding and awareness of disparities and their causes, developing and disseminating solutions, and implementing sustainable actions. As a way of increasing understanding and awareness of disparities, CMS sponsored the February 2019 issue of the journal Health Services Research, with a goal of contributing to the discussion on health disparities and emphasizing the value of continuing research in this area. An aim is to underscore the importance of identifying groups of patients who do not benefit equally from the health system and also identifying root causes of such differences.
One study in the issue focused on inpatient care experiences that differ by preferred language within racial/ethnic groups. Six composite measures for seven languages (English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Other) within applicable subsets of five racial/ethnic groups (Hispanics, Asian/ Pacific Islanders, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Blacks, and Whites) were compared. Within each racial/ethnic group, mean reported experiences for non‐English‐preferring patients were almost always worse than their English‐preferring counterparts. Language differences were largest and most consistent for Care Coordination. Within‐hospital differences by language were often larger than between‐hospital differences and were largest for Care Coordination. Where between‐hospital differences existed, non‐English‐preferring patients usually attended hospitals whose average patient experience scores for all patients were lower than the average scores for the hospitals of their English‐preferring counterparts. The investigators concluded that efforts should be made to increase access to better hospitals for language minorities and improve care coordination and other facets of patient experience in hospitals with high proportions of non‐English‐preferring patients A focus should be on cultural competence and language‐ appropriate services.
More Articles from TRENDS February 2019
THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS
Suggests a link between chemical elements and the provision of health care services in the context of social determinants. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER—ASAHP MEMBER FOCUS
Gregory Frazer, Dean and Professor, Covey College of Allied Health Professions at the University of South Alabama, is featured in this issue of TRENDS. Read More
OPEN SEASON FOR LEGISLATION
The 116th Congress is faced with the challenge of identifying areas of bipartisan agreement in order to pass meaningful health legislation. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Discusses the fate of the Cadillac tax in the Affordable Care Act, short-term Association Health Plans in relation to state regulations, and the impact of primary care on reducing health care costs and patient outcomes. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Indicates a mechanism for reducing college student debt and the results of a request for comments on a proposed rule involving Title IX provisions for campus sexual assault allegations. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Record Number Of Novel Medical Devices Approved By The FDA In 2018
Nearly One-Quarter Of Antibiotic Prescriptions Filled Are Unnecessary
Enhanced Toy Dog Robot Includes An Ability To Learn From Its Owners
Electrical Stimulation Of The Brain During Surgery Produces Immediate Laughter And Calm Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
Adoption Of A National System For Electronic Use And Exchange Of Health Information
Current Status And Response To The Global Obesity Pandemic
How Innovation Will Blur Traditional Health Care Boundaries Read More
IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, AND COMPARISON OF HEALTH DEVICES
Provides information about the explosion of health devices in the marketplace aimed at consumers and challenges that confront health professionals attempting to select appropriate technologies that meet the requirements of specific applications for a clinical trial, research study, or a digital health service. Read More