Leveraging Equity Measures to Identify and Incentivize Improvements in Racial Inequities in Care

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) shared the results of a new analysis of racial and ethnic inequities in health care and became the first health plan in Massachusetts to announce it will incorporate equity measures — differences in the quality of care across racial and ethnic groups — into its contracts and payment programs with clinicians who care for Blue Cross members. In preparation for equity-based payment incentives, BCBSMA has partnered with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to convene an Equity Action Community to develop equity-improving capabilities among providers and facilitate collaboration among them.

NCQA will host Dr. Mark Friedberg, Senior Vice President, Performance Measurement & Improvement at Blue Cross and Shannon Welch, MPH, Senior Director at Institute for Healthcare Improvement, for a presentation on this groundbreaking work. Join faculty for an overview of Blue Cross’ plan to address health inequity and racial injustice, results from the recently released Health Equity Report and the launch of a new collaborative intended to assist physicians and hospitals in improving racial inequities in care.