Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014 - (Page 35)

if effectively diagnosed and managed, could be treated in an outpatient setting" (Trocchio and Haddad 2012). Effective programs to reduce healthcare disparities require this kind of creative and datadriven approach, a point made repeatedly by the authors of both feature articles. Finally, regarding community benefit, the Affordable Care Act will result in millions of currently uninsured people obtaining reliable, sustainable health insurance coverage. With hospitals experiencing less uncompensated care, we will need to refocus community benefit work in areas where there is still an opportunity for major improvement, including disparities. Fewer uninsured people means the health system can spend time and resources addressing the quality of care delivered-and the extent to which it is linguistically and culturally appropriate given the diverse patient need. Equity of Care Goals The Catholic Health Association, the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and other hospital and healthcare associations have joined together in the Equity of Care coalition to highlight the problem of uneven treatment among racial and ethnic groups and make progress in eliminating healthcare disparities. The articles by Betancourt and Allison and colleagues echo the three goals named by the Equity of Care coalition as crucial to effectively addressing disparities: (1) increasing collection of race, ethnicity, and language data; (2) increasing cultural competency training; and (3) increasing diversity in leadership. As mentioned earlier, data collection and analysis are vital elements of any successful disparities program. The second dimension-increased cultural Sr. C a rol Ke e ha n * 35 C O M M E N T A R Y languages, including American Sign Language. "Whatever the price of using healthcare interpreters, the price of not using them can be exponentially higher" (Thompson 2010). Betancourt echoes the concept of effective patient outreach that prevents language and culture from being barriers to effective care. "The emergence of health coaches and patient navigators and the reemergence of community health workers-all of whom have the cultural and linguistic capacities to meet the needs of diverse populations-will undoubtedly be a centerpiece of healthcare system transformation that focuses on culturally competent [quality improvement]." Another powerful example comes from Wisconsin, where a "Catholic medical center's community health assessment revealed that low-income African-American men had high rates of prostate cancer diagnosed too late for effective treatment. With the medical center's physicians and with partners in the African-American community, the hospital planned a comprehensive program of prostate cancer awareness, screening and treatment. The hospital's board and senior executives consider this community benefit program as important as the hospital's excellent inpatient and outpatient oncology programs" (Trocchio and Haddad 2012). Catholic healthcare organizations have streamlined community benefit programs and learned to effectively plan, implement, and monitor improvements being made. San Francisco-based Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) developed the Community Need Index, which identifies the severity of health disparities in zip codes across the country. The index "helps demonstrate the link between community need, access to care and preventable hospitalization for conditions that,

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014
Contents
Editorial
Baylor Health Care System’s Journey to Provide Equitable Care
In Pursuit of High-Value Healthcare: The Case for Improving Quality and Acheiving Equity in a Time of Healthcare Transformation
Ending Healthcare Disparities: An Urgent Priority and a Growing Possibility
Expanding the Evidence Base for Health Equity
A Historical Perspective on Disparities as Context for Our Work Ahead

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014