Center on Health Equity & Access

Medicare’s upcoming health equity adjustment in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program will reduce disproportionate penalization among safety net hospitals and those serving high proportions of Black patients, according to a recent study.

In this investigation, outcomes of interest were morbidity rate and length of hospital stay or a traumatic injury among a homeless population, and whether age and/or injury severity had an influence on that relationship—with implications for improving the discharge process for these patients.

CMS released a final rule to help patients obtain Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage and issued a proposed rule to update Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities; debate over if gift card incentives are acceptable in health care marketing.

In this interview, Pat Van Burkleo, the executive director of Feeding Louisiana, the Louisiana Food Bank Association, discusses the outreach dynamics of the organization and food banks.

A presentation at the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health's 2024 Women’s Health Summit discussed how payers, including employers and public entities, can strategically influence health care purchasing to prioritize maternal health and equity.

The Center on Health Equity and Access covered disparities in hypertension, diabetic eye health, and hidradenitis suppurativa, along with the proposed legislation banning diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in Alabama schools and the consequences in sickle cell care from the CDC guideline for opioid prescriptions.

Robert Groves, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Banner|Aetna, discussed whether health systems should invest in social determinants of health.

A retrospective, qualitative cohort study concludes that patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) may have been negatively impacted by the 2016 CDC guidance.

Overall rates for lung cancer screening remain low, despite the US Preventive Services Task Force revising its annual screening recommendation in 2021 by lowering the age of initial screening for current or former smokers and their pack-year history.

This poster reported that photoprotection management of lupus is unaffordable for some patients, which may have an impact on sunscreen application frequency.

Physician-scientists play a vital role in bridging research and clinical practice, and ensuring diversity among them has emerged as a critical factor for fostering biomedical innovation and achieving equitable health care.

Based on the findings, investigators acknowledged the critical need to consider racial differences when assessing patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. Health care providers should be vigilant in addressing cardiovascular risk factors in this population, recognizing and addressing racial disparities that may impact disease management.

This article reviews barriers to diabetic eye health across Alabama and highlights a partnership with Genentech and the American Diabetes Association to address this issue.

Two strategies were tried, but neither outperformed usual care.

This week, the Center on Health Equity and Access highlighted expert opinions on a mental health paradigm shift in the workplace, the impact health care algorithms can have on patient outcomes, and social factors linked with hidradenitis suppurativa severity, in addition to addressing the health needs of justice-involved populations.

Illuminating the critical intersection of substance use and mental health, these findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address alcohol use disorder within suicide prevention efforts.

The fiscal 2025 budget will prioritize investments in rapid tests and antimicrobial drugs; women who were pregnant as teenagers are more likely to die before 31 years; leaders push for reform as part of spending bill for federal health agencies.

In this interview, Pat Van Burkleo, executive director of Feeding Louisiana, explains why food access initiatives are a top priority.

Arizona is well suited to benefit from its 1115 demonstration waiver requested from CMS because it already has a robust justice-involved reentry initiative called the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program, which is emerging as an archetype of successful reentry programs that can serve as a template for other states to emulate.

The HHS Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether patient data were exposed in the cyberattack on Change Healthcare; a new study claims that the US’ high maternal mortality rates are the product of flawed data; HHS secretary is open to drug testing recipients of welfare.

Research presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting 2024 explored the impact of social determinants of health on hidradenitis suppurativa severity.

The novel findings from a 12-year review uncovered these algorithms can both exacerbate and mitigate racial and ethnic disparities in health care.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions increased health care coverage for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women of childbearing age but had limited effects on prenatal care, birth outcomes, and health care supply.

The critical issue of mental health in the workplace was discussed by experts in the field at the recent Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) Mental Health Forum, shedding light on the growing concern surrounding alcohol use disorder and the pressing need for innovative therapies.