Disparities in Healthcare Quality Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups: Selected Findings from the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports

Disparities in Healthcare Quality Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
Selected Findings From the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports
Fact Sheet
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Despite improvements, differences persist in health care quality among racial and ethnic minority groups. People in low-income families also experience poorer quality care. This fact sheet discusses differences between groups in terms of relative rates, which is the ratio of the comparison group (e.g., Black) to a baseline group (e.g., White).

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Contents
Introduction
Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Summary
Additional Information


Introduction

Each year since 2003, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has reported on progress and opportunities for improving health care quality and reducing health care disparities. As mandated by the U.S. Congress, the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) focuses on "national trends in the quality of health care provided to the American people" while the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) focuses on "prevailing disparities in health care delivery as it relates to racial factors and socioeconomic factors in priority populations." Priority populations include racial and ethnic minorities, low-income groups, women, children, older adults, residents of rural areas and inner cities, and individuals with disabilities and special health care needs.

Summary

The 2010 NHQR and 2010 NHDR emphasize the need to accelerate progress if the Nation is to achieve higher quality and more equitable health care for all Americans in the near future. Among the themes that emerge from the reports are:

•Health care quality and access are suboptimal, especially for minority and low-income groups.

•Quality is improving; access and disparities are not improving.

•Urgent attention is warranted to ensure improvements in quality and progress on reducing disparities with respect to certain services, geographic areas, and populations, including:
◦Cancer screening and management of diabetes.
◦States in the central part of the country.
◦Residents of inner-city and rural areas.

•Disparities in preventive services and access to care.

•Progress is uneven with respect to eight national priority areas:
◦Two are improving in quality: (1) Palliative and End-of-Life Care and (2) Patient and Family Engagement.
◦Three are lagging: (3) Population Health, (4) Safety, and (5) Access.
◦Three require more data to assess: (6) Care Coordination, (7) Overuse, and (8) Health System Infrastructure.
◦All eight priority areas showed disparities related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.


full-text and figures and tables and related information:
Disparities in Healthcare Quality Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups: Selected Findings from the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports


Additional Information

The 2010 National Healthcare Disparities Report is available online at http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr10.htm.

Additional information on programs and activities related to minority health at the Agency is available on the AHRQ Web site at http://www.ahrq.gov/research/minorix.htm or by contacting:

Cecilia Rivera Casale, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor for Minority Health
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
540 Gaither Road
Rockville, MD 20850
E-mail: Cecilia.Casale@ahrq.hhs.gov

AHRQ Publication No. 11-0005-3-EF
Current as of March 2011


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Internet Citation:

Disparities in Healthcare Quality Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups: Selected Findings from the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Fact Sheet. AHRQ Publication No. 11-0005-3-EF, March 2011. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhqrdr10/nhqrdrminority10.htm

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