These health systems are taking steps to address health equity

Physicians and health systems throughout the U.S. are facing challenges in ensuring patients can access the health care they need and deserve. Various socioeconomic and location factors place people, often in less affluent areas, at a significant disadvantage in just reaching physicians for treatment and routine appointments. These gaps in care create wide and far-reaching inequities in health, leaving people from groups that have been economically marginalized with lower mortality rates, among other health challenges that could be improved with better access. 

Here is a list of how members of the AMA Health System Program—which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine—are working meaningfully to remove obstacles in the way of accessing proper health care for too many people across the country. 

1. Bayhealth brings the clinic to the community with an RV

   1. Medical literature has shown that if you are able to go to communities, you'll improve their health. With that in mind, Bayhealth was looking for a way to bring care to rural areas and to those with mobility issues. Their solution: Turn a 38-foot recreational vehicle (RV) into a mobile health clinic with a private exam room and two screening booths. Read more about how Bayhealth uses an RV to bring care to where patients live. 

2. Confluence Health tackles the effects of air pollution from wildfires 

   1. Sixteen places in Washington have been identified as communities that are underserved with limited access to good air quality. A review of data from 2016 to 2020 found that residents of these communities had an average lifespan of 78 years, compared with 80.4 among people across the rest of Washington. Bindu Nayak, MD, an endocrinologist with Confluence Health, noticed the impact the smoke was having on the community—particularly Hispanic children with asthma who had become frequent visitors to emergency departments. Learn more about how Confluence Health is meeting this health challenge head on.
   2. Visit AMA Advocacy in Action to find out what’s at stake in combating the health effects of climate change and other advocacy priorities the AMA is actively working on.

3. Henry Ford Health is increasing telehealth availability

   1. Henry Ford Health’s effort to ensure that patients 65 or older can communicate with their physicians and care teams was recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges for demonstrating a “commitment to addressing barriers associated with telehealth and health technology across clinical delivery and medical training” particularly for historically under-resourced communities and populations. Read on to find out how Henry Ford Health is bridging the telehealth gap to meet patients where they live. 
      1. From AI implementation to EHR adoption and usability, the AMA is fighting to make technology work for physicians, ensuring that it is an asset to doctors—not a burden.

4. Northwest Permanente advances equitable care with data-based initiatives

   1. Northwest Permanente is screening all patients for social drivers of health. Community health workers connect with anyone who is identified for a need and create a customized action plan to provide necessary resources. More than 5,000 people have benefited from the program since its launch in 2020. Find out how Northwest Permanente is taking action based on the acquired screening data. 

5. Ochsner Health’s new medical school dean champions diversity and equity

   1. The new Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine, also known as XOCOM, aims to help alleviate Louisiana’s severe physician shortage, boost diversity in the physician workforce, reduce health inequities and revitalize downtown New Orleans. Founding dean Leonardo Seoane, MD, executive vice president and chief academic officer at Ochsner Health, said there is a shortage of diversity across all specialties and that, “clearly, primary care is something we're going to emphasize. However, we really need diversity representation among other types of physicians, too—like our neurosurgeons, dermatologists, and pulmonary-critical care doctors like me.” 

6. Privia Health is bringing value-based care to the youngest patients

   1. Pediatrics has been at the forefront of preventive medical practices such as immunizations, screenings, care coordination with specialists and meeting defined health goals. Measurable prevention is a major cornerstone of providing value-based care, so it would seem the approach would pair well with pediatrics. But it’s not that simple, because there is a wide range of populations and health needs to be considered within pediatrics. Read on to learn how Privia Health is making a compelling case for value-based care in pediatrics.

7. Saint Peter’s is improving maternal outcomes with help from mothers

   1. About 90% of patients giving birth to the 5,600 babies delivered annually at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, feel they have a say in the decision-making and fully understand the pros and cons of treatment options in the experience. That is no accident. Rather, it is a result of the hospital’s participation in a structured process called TeamBirth, which is designed around best practices in communications, obstetric teamwork and clinical care. Learn more about how Saint Peter’s Healthcare System physicians and teams are improving outcomes for mothers in a state where Black and Hispanic women are seven times more likely to die during childbirth than white women.

8. Sanford Health is addressing food insecurity by locating patients in need

   1. At Sanford Health’s Southwest Children’s Clinic in Fargo, North Dakota, in a secluded nook, there is something unexpected: An assortment of free canned foods, dried goods, hygiene items—such as feminine napkins or deodorant—and other essentials. It’s not something patients are often initially aware of but provides a great resource to address food insecurities. The key to uncovering this hidden gem for parents is answering three simple questions. Should their responses indicate a need for help to address food insecurity, they are provided with 20 to 30 pounds of provisions to carry home. This is about three to five meals per family. Find out how Sanford Health is tackling hunger as a health issue. 

9. Texas Children’s doctors care for children when parents can’t pay

   1. When Desiree L. Evans, MD, MPH, started her pediatric practice with the Texas Children’s Community Cares program, it was called “Project Medical Home” and operated out of a small office with three exam rooms, a waiting room and a small space for the nurses. Some 20-plus years later, the program has eight Houston-area locations where services are provided regardless of parents’ ability to pay. This includes well visits, nutrition education and a social worker who helps families connect to low-cost insurance and other community resources. Learn more about how the program meets patients’ needs at Texas Children’s Pediatrics.

10. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health applies “production system” to health inequities

    1. Creating a more equitable health system for patients, physicians, staff and community is everyone’s job, say leaders at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Continuous quality- and patient safety-improvement has been a longstanding part of the health system’s organizational culture, and that includes their dedicated focus on advancing health equity, as well. Building on the pioneering Virginia Mason Production System that takes input from front-line physicians and staff to improve quality and safety while cutting waste, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has developed tools to systemically address health equity throughout the organization and drive lasting behavioral and cultural change. Learn more about how the health system is solving health equity issues with this unique approach

Learn about the AMA's 2024-2025 strategic plan to advance health equity, and read a Leadership Viewpoints column detailing how the AMA is reaffirming its commitment to health equity.

Subscribe to free AMA email newsletters

Get the latest news from the AMA on the topics that matter to you—delivered to your inbox.

Sign Up Now