Promoting Health Equity And Eliminating Disparities Through Performance Measurement And Payment.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Equity
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Existing health care quality initiatives have not effectively reduced health disparities.
• Despite increased focus on quality measurement and payment policies, disparities persist.
• There's a critical need for strategies specifically designed to address and eliminate health inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a strategic road map for using measurement and payment policies to reduce health disparities and advance health equity.
• To demonstrate the practical application of this road map through a case study on racial disparities in hypertension.
• To highlight the potential of value-based payment models in achieving health equity.

Main Methods:

• Development of a four-part strategy by the National Quality Forum.
• Prioritizing areas for disparity reduction and implementing evidence-based interventions.
• Investing in health equity performance measures and incentivizing disparity reduction.

Main Results:

• The proposed road map offers a framework for integrating disparity reduction into quality improvement efforts.
• A case example illustrates how measurement and value-based payment can target racial disparities in hypertension.
• The strategy aims to align quality measurement with the goals of achieving health equity.

Conclusions:

• Current quality improvement approaches are insufficient for reducing health disparities.
• A structured, multi-component strategy is necessary to effectively address health inequities.
• Measurement and value-based payment, when focused on equity, hold significant potential for reducing disparities.