Becker’s Healthcare is hosting an exclusive event where top executives from health plans and health systems across the country are gathering to focus on shaping the future of health care delivery. Among the leaders at the two-day Becker’s Payer Issues Roundtable, which starts today in Chicago, is Alex Li, MD, the Chief Health Equity Officer at L.A. Care Health Plan. Li is participating in a panel tomorrow titled The Rise of Chief Equity Officers and Their Impact.
Dr. Li says all health plans can play a significant role in advancing health equity in partnership with health care and social service providers, which ultimately will mean improved health outcomes and wellness for their members. He will lay out five things that health plans should consider adopting immediately. They are:
• Hire a chief health equity office at a C-suite level to help set the vision and take on the community building efforts
• Utilize NCQA methodology to stratify the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures by race and ethnicity and set and report goals
• Employ people from communities where your members are
• Use health plan and community data to determine what and where to invest
• Focus on the disparities that most impact the communities you serve and, when possible, measure whether you are making an impact
To help advance health equity, Dr. Li believes there should be more investment in primary care providers and workforce development of paraprofessionals who can provide the preventive care that is needed to help close the gap on disparities that persist in under resourced communities.
The roundtable will include lively discussions on a number of topics that will help redefine healthcare for the next generation including bold initiatives to address social determinants of health, aging in place, and much more.