CMS issues health equity plan for Medicare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health today released a plan to reduce health disparities in Medicare. The CMS Equity Plan for Improving Quality in Medicare aims to expand the collection, reporting and analysis of standardized data; evaluate disparities impacts and integrate equity solutions across CMS programs; develop and disseminate promising approaches to reduce health disparities; increase the ability of the health care workforce to meet the needs of vulnerable populations; improve communication and language access for people with limited English proficiency or disabilities; and increase physical accessibility of health care facilities. “We know that in order to achieve the goals of the plan, we need to work with many stakeholders, and we hope that as we start to implement the activities in the plan, we will see a number of them join us on the path to equity,” said Cara James, director of the CMS Office of Minority Health.