The Philadelphia Inquirer writes of a new report by the Lown Institute, a Boston-area health care think-tank, which represents an effort at measuring how well hospitals are serving patients of color by ranking them based on racial inclusivity — how well their patient population reflects the demographics of the community they serve.
After evaluating more than 3,200 hospitals, based on 2018 U.S. Census and Medicare data, researchers concluded that while many have made progress, many more have a long way to go in serving diverse communities. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Philadelphia and other metropolitan areas, where people have more choice of where to go for care, were particularly prone to appearing segregated, with some hospitals disproportionately serving patients of one race or another, researchers found.
The study helps set in motion a necessary shift in how hospitals are making the kind of cultural transformation that much of society is facing as Americans come to terms with the legacy of systemic racism, researchers said.
Read more:
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: https://www.inquirer.com/health/consumer/hospital-inclusivity-race-segregation-penn-temple-main-line-health-20210608.html
- Lown Institute Hospitals Index: 2021 WINNING HOSPITALS: RACIAL INCLUSIVITY