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Reducing Health Disparities for Underserved Beneficiaries
Cultural Diversity Awareness Initiative
Project Overview
Imagine a health care system where every person receives the right care every time, and where staff and providers have the tools and resources to deliver that care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Qualidigm are dedicated to realizing this vision.
Qualidigm, Connecticut's Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) is working to assist health care providers and others to reduce disparities in health care provided to underserved populations. As your QIO, we are committed to helping clinicians deliver care that is consistently safe, effective, efficient, timely, person-centered and equitable.
Qualidigm will be working with primary care physician offices in Connecticiut to improve the quality of care for underserved Medicare beneficiaries using the following key strategies identified by CMS as part of the Physician Office Quality Initiative:
- Measure and Report Performance - Eliminate disparities in health care for underserved groups through enhanced efforts in disease prevention, health promotion and appropriate care delivery. Share regional utilization rates for selected preventive and chronic care services in Connecticut.
- Redesign Care Processes - Educate clinicians about culturally sensitive health care and implement Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards in primary care physician offices. Educate and assist physicians and their office staff about cultural competency with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health tool, "A Family Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care."
Project Goals:
Statewide Goals Include:
- Improve diabetes care, mammography screening and adult immunizations (influenza and pneumoccocal vaccinations) for the following underserved populations: African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino.
Participating Primary Care Physician (PCP) Office Goals - Qualidigm is working intensively with 44 physician offices in Connecticut to:
- Increase primary care physicians' and their office staffs' awareness and understanding of cultural diversity.
- Increase primary care physicians' and their office staffs' awareness and understanding of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health care.
Qualidigm's Approach:
Our staff works with physician offices to improve quality of care by:
Partnership Building
- Establishing partnerships with clinicians in targeted areas to improve the health status of underserved Medicare beneficiaries by increasing their use of preventive services.
- Working with physician organizations to promote cultural diversity awareness and other quality improvement initiatives.
Performance Feedback
- Sharing regional Utilization Rates for Selected Preventive and Chronic Care Services in Connecticut.
Quality Improvement Training and Support
- Coordinating outreach activities as well health promotion in targeted areas of the state for diabetes care, mammography screening and adult immunizations.
- Educating physicians and their office staff on cultural diversity awareness.
- Assisting physicians and their office staff in completing language and literacy assessments.
- Promoting the use of culturally diverse patient education materials and interventions in primary care physician offices.
- Assisting primary care physician offices in completing the Office of Minority Health (OMH) online education training course (9 CME or 10.8 CEUs awarded at no cost).
- Providing networking opportunities for primary care physicians through focus group sessions/trainings.
Marketing and Communications
- Recognizing outstanding quality improvement efforts through the Qualidigm Quality Awards program.
- Providing certificates and press releases to physician offices promoting their involvement in quality improvement efforts with Qualidigm.
- Submitting articles for publication in peer-reviewed and non peer-reviewed journals and newsletters.
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What's New
Chronic Kidney Disease - A Pocket Guide for Primary Care Physicians
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Tools & Resources
Cultural Competency Fact Sheet
“A Family Physician’s Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care”
MedQIC is a website where health care professionals can find and share quality improvement resources and browse through recommended interventions developed by colleagues and experts in their field. MedQIC offers tools, articles and links to resources about how to transform organizational culture, adopt health information technology, redesign care processes, and measure and report performance.
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FAQs
What is the Office of Minority Health (OMH)?
The OMH was established in 1986 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It advises the Secretary and the Office of Public Health and Science on public health program activities affecting American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
The mission of the OMH is to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities.
What is A Family Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care?
A Family Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care is a continuing medical education activity. This online curriculum has been reviewed and approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians as having educational content acceptable for prescribed credit hours.
Are the Cultural Competency Curriculum Modules (CCCMs) accredited?
The Cultural Competency Curriculum Modules are accredited by Office of Minority Health (OMH) for continuing education credits.
- Physicians can receive 9 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits that may be completed in sets of 3 credits each.
- Pharmacists can receive 0.9 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that may be completed in sets of 0.3 credits each.
- Nurses can receive 10.8 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that may be completed in sets of 3.6 credits each.
Is there a cost with this online program?
This educational program is offered at no cost to you.
What is the goal for Cultural Competency Curriculum Modules (CCCMs)?
In order to provide appropriate care for diverse populations and to help eliminate the health disparities that already exist, the Cultural Competency Curriculum Modules (CCCMs) were developed to effectively equip family physicians with awareness, knowledge and skills in cultural competencies to better treat the increasingly diverse U.S. population.
What are the learning objectives of the Cultural Competency Curriculum Modules (CCCMs)?
At the conclusion of this continuing medical education activity, participants should be able to:
- Define issues related to cultural competency in medical practice.
- Identify strategies to promote self-awareness about attitudes, beliefs, biases and behaviors that may influence the clinical care they provide.
- Devise strategies to enhance skills toward the provision of care in a culturally competent clinical practice.
- Demonstrate the advantages of the adoption of the Culturally Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards as appropriate in their clinical practice.
Who is the intended target audience for this program?
This continuing education activity is intended for family physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals with a specific interest in cultural competency in the provision of care.
What are the three themes in the CCCM's program?
The three themes are:
Theme 1: Culturally Competent Care
This program provides 3.0 contact hours (0.3 CEUs) of continuing education credit.
Theme 2: Language Access Services
This program provides 3.0 contact hours (0.3 CEUs) of continuing education credit.
Theme 3: Organizational Supports
This program provides 3.0 contact hours (0.3 CEUs) of continuing education credit.
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Our Partners
American Cancer Society - Connecticut Chapter
American Diabetes Association - Connecticut Chapter
American Lung Association - Connecticut Chapter
American Thoracic Society- Connecticut Chapter
Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians
Connecticut Department of Public Health
Connecticut State Medical Society
Connecticut State Medical Society Independent Practice Association
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
End Stage Renal Disease Network of New England
Fistula First - National Vascular Access Improvement Inititiative
Witness Project of Connecticut
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Project Team
Health Educator
Michele Kelvey-Albert, MPH, CHES
860.632.6367
malbert@ctqio.sdps.org
Administrative Assistant
Cathy Griffith
860.632.6302
cgriffith@qualidigm.org
Analysis
Shih-Yieh Ho, MPH, PhD
Clinical Advisor
Thomas P. Meehan, MD, MPH
Management
Anne Elwell, RN, BS, MPH, CPHQ
Research and Evaluation
Judith Barr, ScD
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Events
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Project Team | Events