WNY Health Equity Workgroup

To create a culture of urgency to mobilize and align forces for quality through relevant community strategies that

ensure health equity in WNY

Aligning Forces for Quality

WNY is one of 15 communities targeted to reduce racial and ethnic disparities, and provide models for national reform– Collect and track patient R/E/L data– Evaluate disparities in treatment– Design interventions to increase quality

Interview Results

Collects Self-Reported Data • 0 of 3 hospitals • 4 of 6 ambulatory centers• 0 of 3 health plans

Measures performance• 1 of 3 hospitals• 2 of 6 ambulatory centers• 3 of 3 health plans for

specific programs

Barriers identified when collecting R/E/L data

• Reluctance of staff to ask this type of question

• No demonstrated need for data/not priority

• Fear data may be used to profile pts and discriminate in provision of care

• Patient reluctance to answer these questions

o Collection limitations per NYS Regulations

o Concern that collection of data may expose you to legal liability

o Variations in R/E categories o Lack of funding to support collection of

this data o Lack of staff understanding of

importance of collecting R/E/L data o Lack of time to collect data

Barriers anticipated in developing a plan to stratify performance measures by R/E/L

• Financing and education needed to support new systems/programs.

• Time and participation required to initiate standards of care.

• Research to support necessity and to get necessary buy-in.

Those interviewed agreed that standardized collection of self-reported

R/E/L data was logical and indicated interest in participating in efforts to make

this happen.

WORKPLANS

How to engage stakeholders in• Collecting self-reported patient R/E/L data• Stratifying performance measures by R/E/L

data

Hospitals

• Establish on-going communications with WNY Hospital Association and strategize about offering opportunities for EQIC project hospitals to share progress

• Explore with NPO how the EQIC project process can be expanded beyond cardiac care

• Explore regional information sharing and education opportunities

Physicians/Ambulatory Centers

• Explore regional information sharing and education opportunities

• Work with targeted primary care practices to design implement and collect data

• Pilot with select practices• Advocate for the HIT system that is being

developed or modified to include standardized R/E/L fields

Health Plans

• Work with WNY Quality Measurement Collaborative to address value of this data collection and use, for more than select programs

• Look to external resources with the national health plan community that demonstrate best practices in collecting R/E/L data

Other• Legislative and regulatory changes– Identify and work with regulatory agencies to

mandate this data collection• EHR Vendors– Work with HEALTHeLINK to ensure that vendors

available in WNY provide standard, established R/E/L fields as well as capability to customize

• NYS Medicaid Office– Work with Center for Health Care Strategies to

access Medicaid data and integrate with aggregated claims data from area health plans