Eliminating Health Care Disparities: Implementing the National Call to Action Using Lessons Learned

Achieving health care equity and eliminating health care disparities are a top goal of hospitals and health systems. Health care equity has become an important discussion nationally as policymakers aim to improve quality of care while lowering costs through a variety of changes to existing incentives. Recognizing that there are areas for improvement is a first step, but it must be followed by actionable strategies to make sustainable improvements.

The American Hospital Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, American College of Healthcare Executives, Catholic Health Association of the United States, and National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems have launched a call to action to eliminate health care disparities. The goals of the group are to (1) increase the collection of race, ethnicity, and language (REAL) preference data to facilitate its increased use, (2) increase cultural competency training for clinicians and support staff, and (3) increase diversity in governance and management.