HENRICO, V.A. | MAY 22, 2023

Quality Insights Health Equity Specialist Andrea Moore and Consultant Amber Paulus will present at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) inaugural Health Equity Conference at Howard University June 7-8.

Their presentation, Unlocking the Power of Data: A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Health Literacy in the Dialysis Practice Setting, is one of the featured breakout sessions at the conference.

Moore said improving health equity in the dialysis setting is about collaborating between all parties—providers, patients, CMS, family members, care partners and more. Improving the quality of care from a lens of health equity is her connection to dialysis settings is her work with Quality Insights Renal Networks 3, 4 and 5.

“There are a lot of disparities in inequity, so acknowledging them, using data to really identify what those disparities are, and knowing what those social determinants of health are based on data allow us to can collaborate with the appropriate partners,” Moore said.

Moore said up to 80% of a patient’s health is impacted by their social determinants of health.

Quality Insights Renal Network 5 Executive Director Brandy Vinson mentioned addressing social determinants of health is where the health equity work begins.

“I think that CMS devoting an entire conference to health equity is really shining a light and putting an emphasis on where it needs to be, and they are making this a true priority to healthcare and demonstrating their commitment to health equity,” Vinson said.

CMS states the Health Equity Conference, “will serve as an opportunity to gain invaluable insights and a better understanding of disparities that exist from leading experts in the field. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with peers, build relationships, and share research, best practices, and initiatives that are reducing disparities in CMS programs and increasing equity for underserved communities.”

CMS currently has five health equity priorities:

1. Expand the Collection, Reporting, and Analysis of Standardized Data

2. Assess Causes of Disparities Within CMS Programs and Address Inequities in Policies and Operations to Close Gaps

3. Build Capacity of Health Care Organizations and the Workforce to Reduce Health and Health Care Disparities

4. Advance Language Access, Health Literacy, and the Provision of Culturally

5. Increase All Forms of Accessibility to Health Care Services and Coverage

For more information on Quality Insights Renal Network 5, visit: www.qualityinsights.org/qirn5.

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About Quality Insights Renal Network 5

Quality Insights Renal Network 5 serves as the federal contractor for the Network 5 region, which encompasses Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. There are more than 465 hemodialysis facilities and 13 renal transplant centers in the area, providing treatment to more than 28,000 dialysis patients and over 13,000 transplant recipients (2021 Annual Report, ESRD Network 5).

About Quality Insights

Quality Insights is a mission-driven company focused on using data and community solutions to improve health and health care quality. We support and collaborate with government agencies, payers, providers, patients and families, and community organizations. Our services include quality improvement consulting; provider, stakeholder and patient engagement; secure data collection, validation, analytics and reporting; and effective, comprehensive and collaborative education and learning. Quality Insights’ employees and consultants support quality initiatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), state governments, private payers and more.