Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013
For Minority Physicians
New quality measures focus on disparities, cultural competency
The National Quality Forum (NQF) recently endorsed 12 new quality measures pertaining to disparities and cultural competency, seven of which came from an AMA resource designed to help hospitals and large group practices meet the needs of a diverse patient population.
The resource, the Communication Climate Assessment Toolkit, is an assessment toolkit that can be used to evaluate organizational performance in communication. Assessment results provide a reliable means of tracking performance over time and guiding decisions about tailoring quality improvement interventions.
New NQF quality measures from the AMA's toolkit focus on health literacy, language services, workforce development and cross-cultural communication, among others.
"We created this tool to help organizations evaluate and improve their communication with a diverse patient population, and we are proud that measures included in this toolkit have received NQF endorsement," AMA President Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, said in a news release.
NQF-endorsed measures go through an in-depth, rigorous process in which national experts determine that the measure meets certain criteria, including scientific acceptability, reliability and usability.
Visit the NQF website to view the list of new quality measures.
Kit can help physicians reduce health disparities
Physicians can improve their awareness and skills in addressing the inequities in care that racial and ethnic minority patients receive by using a new kit from the AMA. This resource, available through the AMA Bookstore, contains materials featuring interviews with physicians, patients and others who have experienced disparities in care firsthand. The kit can help physicians understand:
- Why real and perceived disparities occur.
- How to establish effective interpersonal and working relationships that acknowledge cultural differences.
- Ways to challenge your knowledge and assumptions about the care you deliver.
- The connection between quality care and health care disparities.
AMA members receive a discount on this and other products available through the AMA Bookstore. If you're not a member, join today.
Also, email the AMA Minority Affairs Section if you have a project or idea that could help prevent health care disparities or raise awareness about this health issue.
