Achieving Health Equity: Closing The Gaps In Health Care Disparities, Interventions, And Research

Health Aff (Millwood). 2016 Aug 1;35(8):1410-5. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0158.

Abstract

In the United States, racial/ethnic minority, rural, and low-income populations continue to experience suboptimal access to and quality of health care despite decades of recognition of health disparities and policy mandates to eliminate them. Many health care interventions that were designed to achieve health equity fall short because of gaps in knowledge and translation. We discuss these gaps and highlight innovative interventions that help address them, focusing on cardiovascular disease and cancer. We also provide recommendations for advancing the field of health equity and informing the implementation and evaluation of policies that target health disparities through improved access to care and quality of care.

Keywords: Access To Care; Chronic Care; Determinants Of Health; Disparities; Quality Of Care.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Achievement
  • Female
  • Health Personnel / organization & administration
  • Health Services Accessibility / organization & administration*
  • Health Status Disparities*
  • Healthcare Disparities*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Minority Groups / statistics & numerical data
  • Needs Assessment
  • Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / organization & administration*
  • Poverty / statistics & numerical data
  • Quality of Health Care*
  • Rural Population / statistics & numerical data
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • United States