Health equity

On December 14, leading healthcare providers and payers announced voluntary commitments on the safe, secure, and trustworthy use and purchase of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care. These voluntary commitments build on ongoing work by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the October 30th AI Executive Order, and earlier commitments that the White House received from 15 leading AI companies to develop models responsibly. Twenty-eight businesses signed the commitment, including Boston Children’s Hospital, CVS Health, Emory Healthcare, Geisinger, Houston Methodist, Mass General Brigham, Rush University System for Health, Tufts Medicine, and WellSpan Health....

This brief includes a checklist of eight key questions that can help state purchasers and other payers develop a robust payment and spending strategy focused on advancing health equity. Each question includes concrete state examples for adopting health equity-focused payment methods. This brief is a product of Advancing Health Equity, a national initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is working with states to pursue payment innovations that support health equity.

This brief explores design considerations and policy levers Medicaid agencies may consider for encouraging uptake of tech-enabled innovation within Medicaid managed care. The brief is a product of the Medicaid Innovation Collaborative, which brings together Medicaid programs, their managed care plans, and other stakeholders to spread tech innovations that can improve the health of Medicaid populations. The collaborative is led by Acumen America, Adaptation Health, and the Center for Health Care Strategies and supported by The MolinaCares Accord, CommonSpirit Health, and Hopelab.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project (CVEEP) encourages the aging network to submit imput on a short survey to help identify tools, resources, and strategies for protecting older adults against COVID-19. The deadline to complete the survey is Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

This new communications resource, developed by CHCS and the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers’ National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs, identifies clear and consistent language that can help strengthen the complex care community. The language represented in the guide reflects perspectives of stakeholders and people with lived experiences, and is intended to support providers, program leaders, consumer advocates and communications professionals in developing complex care approaches.

Many states are directing focus toward achieving racial health equity as a key priority within their Medicaid programs and managed care contracts. This blog post discusses the importance of equitable access to high-quality and comprehensive primary care and the structural and interpersonal racism that creates barriers within health systems. The post explores how states can advance more equitable primary care by building on the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) framework.

This blog post by Edmondo J. Robinson, M.D., M.B.A., Peter J. Embí, M.D., M.S., Ramanathan Raju, M.D., M.B.A., and Yanling Yu, Ph.D. explores how social determinants of health have led to health inequity during the pandemic. Read the blog post to learn how health literacy and access to technology play a role in bridging the gap in health outcomes.

This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast discusses ways to address inequities in Medicaid. Ben Shaffer, Medicaid Director at the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and Kelly Cunningham, Interim Medicaid Administrator at the Illinois Division of Medical Programs, Department of Healthcare and Family, will be sharing how effective data measurement is critical for Medicaid programs to advance equity and better understand the populations served.