In recognition of National Minority Health Month, CMS OMH released a report outlining the quality of care received by people enrolled in Medicare Advantage to further understand and address health disparities. The Disparities in Health Care by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex report details the racial, ethnic, and sex differences in health care experiences and clinical care received by Medicare Advantage enrollees based on data reported in 2022.
This report explores national-level race, ethnicity, and sex disparities in health care quality received by Medicare Advantage enrollees in 2022. The report found Black, Hispanic, and particularly American Indian and Alaskan Native enrollees experienced lower than average quality for clinical care across many measures examined in the report. In particular, significant disparities in flu vaccination rates, as compared to the national average, with Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial enrollees vaccinated for the flu at lower than average rates.
This report is based on an analysis of two sources of information, the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) and the Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. HEDIS collects information from medical records and administrative data on the quality of care that people enrolled in Medicare receive. The Medicare CAHPS survey is conducted annually by CMS and focuses on the health care experiences of people with Medicare across the nation.
Health care professionals, organizations, researchers, and hospital leaders can utilize this report along with other CMS tools and resources to help raise awareness of health disparities, develop health care interventions for racially and ethnically diverse populations, and implement quality improvement efforts that advance health equity.
CMS OMH welcomes your participation in promoting health observances such as National Minority Health Month, not only in April, but all year long to raise awareness about health issues affecting people across our nation.
Visit https://go.cms.gov/omh to learn more.