Each
of the eleven member health plans is evaluating provider-, member- and
community-targeted approaches that use race and ethnicity data so we can
see how effective these approaches are at reducing gaps in care and improving
the quality of care racial and ethnic populations receive. More specifically, the Collaborative is currently developing recommendations and resources to encourage and guide primary racial and ethnic data collection to assist in identifying and addressing disparities, developing tools and guidelines to improve language access, making a business case for addressing disparities and calculating the return on investment of disparities-related initiatives, and working to improve knowledge management and dissemination of disparities-related information.
Currently, member health plans are contributing data from
these initiatives to the Collaborative in the following ways:
Aetna
Aetna is developing a national Equality Dashboard to assist in identifying differences in health care services and outcomes among the racial and ethnic groups. Plans are underway to develop culturally sensitive outreach to providers and members in geographic areas with healthcare disparities. Aetna is also providing Quality Interactions: a Patient-Based Approach to Cross-Cultural Care® developed by the Manhattan Cross Cultural Group, free to clinicians who serve Aetna patients.
Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan
Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan (BMCHP) is working to establish baseline race, ethnicity and language data through member and geo-coded data collection. BMCHP continues to provide educational materials to members in both English and Spanish and provides language translation services over the phone for 150 languages. BMCHP provided Cultural Competency training to its staff and provides cultural competency resources to its providers through the BMCHP website.
CIGNA
CIGNA has multiple efforts across the enterprise focusing on delivering culturally competent care to a diverse membership including but not limited to the following: indirect measurement of race/ethnicity; staff cultural competency and health literacy training; the appointment of a National Medical Director of Disparities; and the establishment of a national Health Disparities Council that oversees several working groups.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is testing a community-based intervention program designed to ensure diabetic Hispanics
receive timely eye exam screenings. The outreach effort includes a local
business partner and a media outreach plan to get the word out in the
community.
Highmark, Inc.
Highmark created a new Health Equity and Quality area in September of 2008 to focus on initiatives aimed at eliminating and reducing health disparities and improving delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to members. Current activities include cultural competency training for staff and network physicians, analysis of race and ethnicity data and quality improvement interventions promoting colorectal cancer screenings for members including African Americans and Hispanics.
HealthPartners
HealthPartners is working to establish baseline race, language preference and country of origin patient data by collecting this information at HealthPartners Clinics and Regions Hospital. HealthPartners is also collecting this information from its health plan members on healthpartners.com. Other quality improvement efforts include offering on-site and telephone interpreting services to doctors and patients in more than 150 languages and maintaining and expanding a cross cultural care intranet site for providers.
Humana
Humana indirectly collects member race/ethnicity data and links the data to quality measures in order to identify gaps in selected markets. Humana trains internal staff in cultural competence, cross-cultural communication, and diversity and inclusion, and provides tools and resources for providers to address disparities. Humana provides robust Spanish-language capabilities and engages in community partnerships to improve health outcomes for diverse populations.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is working to establish baseline race, ethnicity, and language preference through primary data collection. Strategies to reduce disparities include targeted member interventions promoting screening and diabetes management, local interpreter services, translated member materials, and on-going collaborations with community partners. Other quality improvement efforts include disparities focused medical education courses for practitioners, and expanding a newly established health disparities website.
Molina Healthcare
Molina is creating CME trainings through the Molina Institute for Cultural Competency, which provides resources and teaches providers about the health care beliefs and practices of different cultures. Molina is also conducting in-depth research to study cultural factors which affect women and children’s health. Molina is replicating successful pilot initiatives and best practices in all of the health plans in ten states.
UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (UHG) offers culturally and linguistically appropriate member tools and resources and provides meaningful, culturally relevant programs and services, including customer service. UHG continues to support and test targeted clinical interventions such as the Colorectal Cancer Screening and the Diabetes Disparities Reduction pilot programs targeting Hispanics and African Americans. In addition, selected Asian American women received culturally appropriate educational materials to encourage cervical cancer screening. Various interventions are being tested across the entire spectrum of UHG commercial, Medicaid and Medicare populations.
WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint, Inc. is currently applying indirect methodology for estimating member race and ethnicity to identify health disparities; piloting health education programs; forming collaborative alliances with external stakeholders; and assessing language needs of their members. To address disparities in populations with diabetes, WellPoint’s health coaching programs provide education and diabetes management to members. Health professionals receive training on cultural competence and utilization of language assistance programs.
Over the life of the project, the National Health Plan Collaborative will
build upon its work and engage other health care decision-makers, such
as major health care insurance purchasers, health care providers and policy-makers,
to join ongoing efforts to find solutions to racial and ethnic disparities
in health care.
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