AMA, others launch health equity coalition, ‘Rise to Health’: ‘Real results for real people’

Several of America's leading healthcare organizations have launched a nationwide coalition to improve health equity.

The effort is being dubbed Rise to Health: A National Coalition for Equity in Health Care.

The American Medical Association and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement are leading the coalition and announced the new effort Tuesday.

Other members include Race Forward, the American Hospital Association, AHIP, the National Association of Community Health Centers, and more. The coalition is intended to transform the entire healthcare ecosystem, including healthcare providers, payers, pharma, research and biotech groups.

• Read more: Making health equity sustainable: Helping patients and the bottom line

The coalition aims to equip those individuals and organizations with specific skills and tools, change mindsets of those in the industry, and change policies, including standards, education and payments.

Kedar Mate, president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, said the coalition is aiming to make equity “actionable.”

“We are decidedly and urgently moving beyond describing the problem of health inequities to creating real results for real people,” Mate said in a statement. “Measurably moving the needle is the only way we will grow this movement and convince even the most cynical skeptics that, together, we can bring about meaningful, sustainable improvement.”

“We are also making explicit the inseparable links between quality and equity. We believe there is no quality in health care without equity.”

• Read more: Hospitals and health equity: Examples of novel strategies

Jack Resneck, Jr., president of the AMA, said the coalition is designed to give everyone the opportunity to have their best health.

“As leaders in medicine, we know that ending systemic racism in health care will help end health inequities for everyone,” Resneck said in a statement. “The unique, cohesive national strategy behind Rise to Health Coalition will help make progress in advancing racial justice across health care and eliminating inequities in the health of each one of our patients.”

Members of the coalition have committed to expand access and affordability in healthcare, improve the diversity of the workforce, address social drivers of health, and improve quality and safety.

Studies have shown the disparities in the mortality rate among minority groups in cancers and maternal health.

The organizations in the coalition outlined steps including identifying disparities in outcomes among minority groups and professional societies moving away from clinical algorithms that reflect racism.

The coalition also calls for organizations to make health equity a strategic priority, including the governance of the organization, equity in strategic plans, and outreach to the community.

Fatima Paruk,  the chief health officer of Salesforce, said in a March interview with Chief Healthcare Executive®, said that there’s more momentum across the industry on health equity efforts than in the past.

“The fact that the incentives are aligning, whereas before the incentives were never aligned, I think it's a huge opportunity to be able to make change,” Paruk said.