CMS Heath Equity Award – Call For Nominations Open through December 7th, 2018

CMS recognizes that all beneficiaries should be able to achieve their highest level in care and works to ensure that disparities in health care quality and access are eliminated. Starting in 2018, CMS began recognizing organizations demonstrating a similar commitment to health equity by reducing disparities among the CMS beneficiaries they serve, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, and those living in rural areas.

CMS looks forward to recognizing another organization who can demonstrate results. The successful organization will be reducing disparities in health care quality, access, or outcomes for a priority population, including: racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, or individuals living in rural areas.

Please read the criteria and complete one Nomination Form per nominee for the CMS Health Equity Award, to be given at Quality Conference 2019. All Nomination Forms are due to Alexandra Bryden (HealthEquityTA@cms.hhs.gov) no later than December 7^th, 2018.

Last year’s awardees, Kaiser Permanente and Novant Health, were leaders on the path to equity, showing organizations and providers across the country how to reduce disparities and close gaps in health quality, access, and outcomes among those they serve. Here’s how:

Within one year, between January-September 2017, Novant Health successfully closed the gap: the disparity for African American patients who were readmitted with a diagnosis of pneumonia was reduced by 50% (from 4% to 2%) in comparison to the other populations served. This project has created a framework and blue print that is being utilized for other health equity initiatives both within the system and in the communities that Novant Health serves.

From 2009 to 2017, the percentage of African American Medicare members with controlled hypertension increased from 75.3 percent to 89.6 percent. During this time, as a result of Kaiser Permanente’s focused and sustained efforts, the African-American–White disparity in hypertension control rates was reduced from a high of 5.3 percentage points to 2.2 points (a 58 percent decrease). Throughout this period, hypertension control rates for all racial and ethnic groups have consistently surpassed the HEDIS national 90th percentile for Medicare members. Kaiser Permanente has ensured that all members receive the highest standards of care while closing the gap in outcomes between two populations they serve.