Health systems across the nation are working to improve health equity for patients, but many systems approach the issue with an outcomes-focused lens, which may actually make equity harder to achieve.
"We’re all so focused on this end goal of outcomes, wanting to show that we reduced a disparity or somehow eliminated the gap between African Americans and another group," Srinivas Merugu, MD, president of MetroHealth's Institute for HOPE, told Becker's. "But guess what? It's going to feel like playing whack-a-mole if that's the only focus. That's why I believe we need to move away from an emphasis solely on outcomes."
Dr. Merugu proposes a different metric for health equity — opportunities.
"Opportunities are where our focus needs to be," he said. "I actually believe this approach lowers our sense of distress somewhat without diminishing our purpose."
Opportunities can range from access to care to having a higher-paying job that covers medical expenses and provides insurance. Some opportunities might not appear in outcome reports but still make a meaningful difference in patients' lives.
Focusing on opportunities can also guide leaders developing health equity programs. When faced with numerous areas of disparity, deciding where to begin can be daunting, Dr. Merugu said.
"We end up arbitrarily identifying areas either because we’re financially at risk or because they align with some other priority for the health system," he explained.
Dr. Merugu suggests a better way to define health equity priorities is by asking the communities the hospital serves.
"The only authentic way to approach this from an equity perspective is to go back to the community and ask, 'What opportunities are missing that are causing these outcomes? And which would you, the community, prioritize?'" he said.
According to Dr. Merugu, the community's response should help set the priorities for the health system.