Hosted by The Institute for Diversity and Health Equity of the American Hospital Association and the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

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Patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) face language barriers that can have adverse effects on safety and quality of care. Language data collection is necessary to identify language needs, provide a professional medical interpreter and analyze health equity. Currently, hospitals collect information on patient preferred spoken and written language. However, health care organizations will need to demonstrate how a patient’s language needs are met. This webinar discusses the development and implementation of a Language Services Documentation Tool at Cambridge Health Alliance.

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Speakers:

• Aswita Tan-McGrory, MBA, MSPH, Deputy Director, Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

• Vonessa P. Costa, CoreCHI, Manager, Multicultural Affairs and Patient Services, Cambridge Health Alliance

• Ranjani Paradise, PhD, Research and Evaluation Scientist, Institute for Community Health

To effectively identify racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care, it is essential that key elements such as patient race, ethnicity, and language proficiency be collected routinely and then utilized to measure performance. There is now also great attention being given to the impact of social determinants on health disparities–including environmental factors, food insecurity, transportation, and safe housing, among others.

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This webinar discusses strategies and approaches implemented by hospitals and health care systems to collect the social determinants of health, with the understanding that this information will be critical for population health efforts of health plans, hospitals, and health centers nationwide.

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Speakers:

• Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, Director, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at San Francisco General Hospital\

• Aswita Tan-McGrory, MBA, MSPH, Deputy Director, Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

• Lenny López, MD, MDiv, MPH, Chief of Hospital Medicine, University of California San Francisco – SFVA and Senior Faculty, the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

The foundation of all efforts to identify disparities, improve quality, achieve equity, and deliver value is effective data collection. Developing robust equity dashboards and reports is critical in this effort. This HPOE webinar held by the Institute for Diversity and Symposium for Leaders in Healthcare Quality highlights key lessons learned from the Disparities Solutions Center (DSC) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the 2014 AHA Equity of Care award winner in regards to dashboards and reports. DSC Disparities Leadership Program alumnus CHE Trinity Health also shared lessons learned, key dos and don’ts, as well as practical steps to get started and advance ongoing initiatives in equity measurement and monitoring.

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Speakers:

• Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH, Director, Disparities Solutions Center at MGH

• Aswita Tan-McGrory, MBA, MSPH, Deputy Director, Disparities Solutions Center at MGH

• Laura Archbold, RN, MBA, Vice President, UCO Operations, CHE Trinity Health

Hosted by the Health Research and Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association and the Disparities Solutions Center

A decision by hospitals to collect race, ethnicity and language data invites an array of new issues and choices. In this webinar, a panel of experts answers questions about moving forward with data collection and reporting quality measures by race, ethnicity, and language. This discussion focuses on how this is related to measuring the patient experience and satisfaction and the use of internal and external disparities dashboards to measure and report outcomes.

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Speakers:

• Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• James Walton, DO, MBA Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer, Baylor Health Care System, Dallas, Texas.

• Sarah Rafton, MSW – Director, Center for Diversity and Health Equity, Seattle Childrens Hospital, Seattle, WA

• Susana Rinderle, MA Manager, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University of New Mexico Hospitals, Albuquerque, NM

Hosted by the Health Research and Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association and the Disparities Solutions Center

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Focusing on strategies to improve quality, address disparities, and achieve equity is essential in a time of rapid healthcare system change. Measuring patient-reported outcomes is an essential component of quality assessment, yet patient experience surveys often under-represent racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities.

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Webinar Q&A

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Speakers:

• Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH – Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Karen Donelan, ScD, EdM, – Senior Scientist at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy. Associate, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

As hospitals and health systems prepare for the challenges of health care reform–including changes in payment, accountability for population health and patient experience, and a greater focus on quality, there is a clear understanding that to be successful in the future, organizations must be prepared to provide effective, patient-centered, equitable care to diverse populations. As part of a national effort to improve quality, achieve equity, and eliminate disparities, leading organizations including the American Hospital Association, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Association of American Colleges, the National Public Hospital Association, and the Catholic Health Association have joined together and called hospitals across the country to take action. Cultural competence is a key focus of this initiative, as hospitals have been challenged to improve their training and capacity in this critical area. This web seminar highlights activities being taken by healthcare leaders to assure that they are training their staff and building systems so their organizations are culturally competent and prepared to meet the needs of diverse populations.

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Speakers

• Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH – Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Arie Nettles, PhD, NCSP, HSP – Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN

• Kirk Dabney, MD – Clinical Director, Office of Health Equity and Inclusion; Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE

• Brenda Battle, RN, MBA – Director, Center for Diversity and Cultural Competence, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO

The DSC hosted this webinar to discuss ways the DSC can partner with HIINs to help them meet the disparities requirements of their CMS contract.

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This webinar discusses the development and implementation of an innovative, interprofessional curriculum for medical and nursing students designed to educate health professions students on working effectively with interpreters and other care team members to: (1) improve quality and safety for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP); (2) promote transformation of the healthcare system toward prioritizing the needs of culturally diverse patients with LEP; and (3) contribute to the field of interprofessional education and team-based care.

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Speakers:

• Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH – Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Alexander R. Green, MD, MPH – Associate Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Gail Gall, PhD, APRN, BC, Clinical Assistant Professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing, Boston, MA

Approximately 24 million people (8.5% of the U.S. population) are defined as having Limited English Proficiency (LEP).  Research suggests that among those who experience medical errors, LEP patients are more likely to be harmed, the harm is more likely to be serious, and the cause of harm is more frequently due to communication errors. To date there has been no specific guidance or tools to assist healthcare organizations to prevent medical errors in patients with limited-English proficiency. With support from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a new Hospital Guide and TeamSTEPPS training tools have been developed for exactly this goal. As part of the field testing process, two organizations have implemented several key action steps from this portfolio of tools. This presentation highlights the key aspects of the Hospital Guide and TeamSTEPPS module, as well as lessons learned to date from implementation on the frontline.

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Speakers:

• Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH – Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Cindy Brach, MPP – Senior Health Policy Researcher, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD

• Anabela Nunes, MBA, Director of Medical Interpreter Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• John Cowden, MD, MPH – Interim Section Chief General Pediatrics, Medical Director of Office of Equity and Diversity, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, MO

This web seminar showcases practical approaches for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes management, along with innovative strategies to address and prevent diabetes complications, with a particular focus on multicultural and minority populations.

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Information on the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute

Speakers:

• Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH – Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Athena Philis-Tsimikas , MD – Corporate Vice President, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute, San Diego, CA

• Lenny Lopez , MD, MDiv, MPH – Senior Faculty, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Robert Havasy, Project Specialist and Health Strategist, The Center for Connected Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Hosted by the Health Research and Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association and the Disparities Solutions Center

As the nation moves towards health care reform, payment reform, and accountable care organizations, preventing unnecessary readmissions will be a key focus of quality improvement and cost control. Recent research highlights that minorities are more likely to be readmitted for several conditions, including congestive heart failure, than their white counterparts. Hospitals are now devising system-wide initiatives to prevent readmissions, but a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to address disparities in this area. Specific strategies will be necessary to improve quality of care to diverse populations and prevent avoidable readmission. This web seminar presents the latest evidence on racial/ethnic disparities in hospital readmission rates and showcases innovative strategies to address and prevent them, with a particular focus on multicultural and minority populations.

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Speakers:

• Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Brian Jack, MD, Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Family Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA

• Richard Balaban, MD, Assistant Director of Hospital Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and BOOST Mentor, Society of Hospital Medicine, Cambridge, MA

• Rohit Bhalla, MD, MPH, Chief Quality Officer, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NYC

The Disparities Leadership Program (DLP) is a one-year executive leadership program designed to equip leaders in healthcare with in-depth knowledge in the field of disparities, cutting-edge quality improvement strategies for identifying and addressing disparities, and leadership skills to facilitate the organizational transformation necessary to advance health care equity. With support from The Aetna Foundation, The Leadership Learning Community (LLC) conducted an external evaluation of the DLP and the program’s impact on participating organizations’ efforts to address health inequities. This webinar provides an overview of the DLP, findings of the evaluation, and lessons learned for the development and implementation of successful executive leadership programs focused on organizational transformation.

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This evaluation was supported by The Aetna Foundation, a national foundation based in Hartford, Connecticut, that supports projects to promote wellness, health and access to high-quality care for everyone. The views presented here are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Aetna Foundation, its directors, officers, or staff. The Aetna Foundation was not involved in selecting the organizations involved or in the work conducted as part of the Disparities Leadership Program evaluation.

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Speakers:

• Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH – Director, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

• Roderick King, MD, MPH – Senior Faculty, The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA