Advancing Health Equity through Quality Initiatives

Addressing Health Equity

Supported by an abundance of research, the existence of disparities in health and healthcare has become a pivotal issue and influential organizations across the nation are taking steps to mitigate these challenges. For example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has created a tool for evaluating patients’ health-related social needs (HRSNs) and The Joint Commission, which has accredited more than 22,000 US healthcare organizations and programs, has developed new requirements for hospital accreditation designed to reduce healthcare disparities. In lockstep with these healthcare leaders, ScionHealth, parent company of Kindred Hospitals, Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals, and Solara Specialty Hospitals, has developed a National Quality Strategy aimed at providing high-quality care for all.

National Quality Strategy

In 2001, the Institute of Medicine articulated the need for a complete redesign of America’s health system and published care improvements in the areas of safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.

Built on these same six domains, ScionHealth’s National Quality Strategy provides a structured approach to enable and empower hospitals to continuously improve patient care, safety, and satisfaction. The initiative promotes process improvements, the cultivation of speak-up culture, and a relentless focus on safety.

Under the domain of equity, ScionHealth’s goal is to provide consistent care quality, regardless of patient characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status

Equitable Care Components at ScionHealth’s Specialty Hospitals

ScionHealth’s specialty hospitals, which include Kindred Hospitals, Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals, and Solara Specialty Hospitals, provide long-term acute care and rehabilitation to medically complex patients. As part of the National Quality Strategy, our specialty hospitals are committed to advancing equitable care through the following:

Leadership Involvement

We prioritize equitable care as both a clinical and business imperative. At each facility, hospital leaders are charged with developing a health equity plan and establishing a multi-disciplinary team to collaboratively execute the strategy. By tasking hospital leaders with advancing equitable care initiatives, we demonstrate our commitment to making concreate strides in this domain.

Addressing Disparities

Driving equitable care requires us to understand disparities caused by social determinants of health in our patient population. Our hospitals screen patients upon admission for health-related social needs (HRSNs), using CMS’ Accountable Health Communities HRSN Screening Tool. This tool evaluates our patients’ level of food insecurity, housing instability, transportation needs, utilities difficulties, and interpersonal safety. Insights gained from these conversations inform the creation of each patient’s individualized treatment plan.

On a patient population level, review and analysis of documented HRSNs can help improve quality, care coordination and experience of care. Armed with the knowledge of our patients’ social needs, we develop action plans to address identified disparities. The continued collection and analysis of HRSNs and outcomes data allows us to evaluate the efficacy of our action plans.

Community Engagement

Our commitment to equitable care expands beyond the walls of our hospitals.

To best address our patient’s needs, we engage community members, such as local pastors and food bank operators in our health equity committees. Their voices are critical in understanding disparities caused by challenges in the community.

To further support our patients’ outcomes, we establish community partnerships that create positive social, economic, or environmental impacts. By engaging in initiatives to create a thriving community, we contribute to our patients’ health outcomes outside of the hospital.

With a shared goal of zero patient harm, Kindred Hospitals, Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals, and Solara Specialty Hospitals are committed to helping all medically complex patients safely recover and return home, no matter their gender, ethnicity, geographic location, or socioeconomic status.

To learn more about our specialized acute care, visit kindredhopsitals.com, cornerstonehospitals.com, or solarahospitals.com.