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CMS Health Equity Quarterly

VOLUME 13  |  Spring 2024












*Director’s Message*

Welcome to the Spring edition of the Health Equity Quarterly! The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) has been hard at work this quarter in our mission to promote health equity for the communities we serve.

Over the past few months, we’ve highlighted resources and information focused on Black maternal health, chronic kidney disease, developmental disabilities, women’s health, and issues facing Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders during AANHPI Heritage Month (May) and all minority communities during National Minority Health Month (April). To further support these communities, we’ve made a concerted effort to update our resources to meet their changing health care needs.

CMS recently released a record-breaking MRGP (Minority Research Grant Program) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for researchers at minority-serving institutions. This is the first year CMS OMH will award up to $255,000 to five researchers, totaling $1.275 million. The MRGP NOFO aims to address health care disparities affecting minority populations. The deadline is fast approaching, so be sure to visit our website [ https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/grants-awards/minority-research ] and view the application assistance webinars for more information on how to apply.

Finally, I look forward to seeing you all at the 2nd Annual CMS Health Equity Conference on May 29 and 30, 2024. We are excited to bring together public health and health care professionals alongside community partners from a variety of sectors. This year’s theme is "Sustaining Health Equity Through Action", and these two days will include enlightening and energizing conversations about advancing health equity for the communities we serve.

"- Aditi Mallick, M.D"

*Health Equity Programs* [ https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/equity-programs ]






*Research and Data Updates*

CMS OMH maintains a series of data snapshots, data highlights, and other reports. This quarter, CMS OMH released the tenth edition of the Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Report [ https://www.cms.gov/files/document/national-stratified-final.pdf ]. This 2024 report provides a summary of the quality of health care received by people enrolled in Medicare Advantage across the United States, focusing on differences in patient experience and clinical care quality based on race, ethnicity, and sex in 2023.

The report also highlights a range of aspects regarding the quality of patient care. It includes seven measures of patient experience from the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems survey, along with 41 clinical care quality measures covering nine domains of care from the Health Effectiveness Data and Information Set. These measures were stratified by race and ethnicity, sex, and the combination of race and ethnicity within sex to highlight areas where disparities exist.

The CMS Office of Minority Health has also released a new resource document [ https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNtcy5nb3YvZmlsZXMvZG9jdW1lbnQvY21zLTIwMjQtb21oLWRhdGEtZGVmaW5pdGlvbnMucGRmIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDUwNy45NDQyNjQ3MSJ9.c6D3k4lONYgpbqZv8YrN3ghFy3ChKNHmOLEdW-lVJzI/s/1097482443/br/242007958690-l ] of health equity-related data definitions, standards, and stratification practices." CMS’ Resource of Health Equity-related Data Definitions, Standards, and Stratification Practices [ https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNtcy5nb3YvZmlsZXMvZG9jdW1lbnQvY21zLTIwMjQtb21oLWRhdGEtZGVmaW5pdGlvbnMucGRmIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDUwNy45NDQyNjQ3MSJ9.DtWsDpTlMv_cOuM6Sfja64eNkIL08GsPKbrBkYzQ8No/s/1097482443/br/242007958690-l ] "offers a table of suggested definitions, standards, and stratification practices for 9 health equity-related data elements as well as several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the purpose and usage of the document. It may also clarify differences in results that may arise when different data standards and definitions are used.

 

*Research and Data* [ https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/research-data ]




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*Equity Initiatives*

CMS is dedicated to promoting health equity and wants to share the following updates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  


* HHS’ Office of Minority health has released a Request for Information seeking input from language access stakeholders to develop a universal symbol for language assistance services in health care settings.
* Public comments are requested by May 20, 2024. More details can be found here: "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/19/2024-08409/development-of-a-universal-symbol-for-language-assistance-services-in-health-settings"; [ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/19/2024-08409/development-of-a-universal-symbol-for-language-assistance-services-in-health-settings ]

* HHS’ Office for Civil Rights has finalized a rule to strengthen protections against disability discrimination. The rule, entitled "Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities", aims to advance equity and bolster protections for people with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and will take effect 60 days after it was published on May 1. Learn more about the rule and its impact here: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/05/01/hhs-finalizes-rule-strengthening-protections-against-disability-discrimination.html

*Stakeholder Updates*

CMS is committed to working with stakeholders across the country to ensure our initiatives align with the needs of the diverse populations they serve. Here are a few of these events:


* CMS OMH Acting Director Dr. Aditi Mallick presented a session titled "Advancing Health Equity through Community Engagement "at the AHA Accelerating Health Equity Conference hosted May 7-9 in Kansas City. She emphasized data standardization as crucial to health equity and highlighted Priority 1: Expand the Collection, Reporting, and Analysis of Standardized Data of the CMS Framework. Additionally, Darci Graves, technical director for CMS OMH and one of the co-chairs of the CMS Rural Health Council, presented at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Annual Conference on May 7-10. Her session, "Supporting Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities," discussed how CMS OMH works to embed health equity into CMS programs, policies, and partnerships, specifically in rural communities.


* CMS OMH was proud to be present as an exhibitor at the following conference this quarter to disseminate CMS OMH resources to focused audiences:
* Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) 2024 Conference
* National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Health Equity Conference
* National Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Conference and Policy Symposium

* Coverage to Care released a new resource along with the Office of Justice Programs: Returning to the Community: Health Care After Incarceration: A Guide for Health Care Reentry [ https://www.cms.gov/files/document/reentry-english.pdf ] This is designed to help people recently released from incarceration to take charge of their health.


* CMS engaged in 4 Coverage to Care (C2C) Community Connections tour events, distributing resources at community gatherings across the United States, specifically targeting American Indian & Alaska Natives, Black, Latino, and people who live in rural areas. These efforts resulted in the distribution of over 220 C2C resources as a part of its health literacy initiative to promote health and well-being at an individual level.



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*CMS OMH Grants and Awards*

CMS OMH offers various awards and grants aimed at recognizing outstanding achievements and innovations in health care. We assist researchers in conducting health equity studies through grant opportunities and data access programs. 

The CMS OMH *Minority Research Grant Program * [ https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/agency-information/omh/health-equity-programs/grants-and-awards/minority-research-grant-program ]*_(_**MRGP)* is proud to release a record-breaking Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for researchers at minority-serving institutions (MSIs). The funding opportunity supports health equity researchers at MSIs who are investigating or addressing health care disparities affecting people from all minority populations, including racial and ethnic minority groups, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community; people with disabilities; individuals with limited English proficiency, people who live in rural areas; and people otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. CMS will award up to $255,000 for each of the five grantee awards totaling $1.275 million.

The deadline to submit applications is June 3, 2024.


* Eligible MSIs include: 
* Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) 
* Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) 
* Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) 
* Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) 
* Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs),
* Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHSIs), and
* Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) 

Visit go.cms.gov/minorityresearch [ https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/agency-information/omh/health-equity-programs/grants-and-awards/minority-research-grant-program ], watch the MRGP overview video [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1DDa1GtEObw&feature=youtu.be ], or email OMHGrants@cms.hhs.gov for more information.

 

*CMS Health Equity Conference*

While both our in-person and virtual registration has closed for the upcoming 2024 CMS Health Equity Conference, we encourage you to stay updated on conference developments through our website [ https://cmshealthequityconference.com/ ]. The conference will take place on May 29-30, 2024, in Bethesda, MD.

This year’s conference theme is "Sustaining Health Equity Through Action". We are bringing together leaders in health equity across federal agencies, health providers, academia, and community-based organizations. These leaders will not only present related topics, but it is also an opportunity to hear from CMS leadership on recent developments and updates to CMS programs; explore the latest health equity research; discuss promising practices and creative solutions; collaborate on community engagement strategies; and meet and network with others on how to sustain health equity through action.

In addition, the winners of the CMS Health Equity Award will be announced at the 2024 CMS Health Equity Conference. The CMS Health Equity Award is awarded to organizations working towards advancing health equity by reducing disparities in health care access, quality, and outcomes.

Recordings capturing the plenary sessions, breakout sessions, and a conference highlight video will be shared on CMS’ YouTube channel [ https://www.youtube.com/user/cmshhsgov ]  in the coming months. If you missed registration but still want to view the live plenaries, please visit https://www.hhs.gov/live/index.html on the morning of May 29th  and 30th to livestream the full plenary sessions.  Breakout sessions can only be viewed in person or with the virtual registration.

For more information about the 2024 CMS Health Equity Conference, visit https://cmshealthequityconference.com/.








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