REDUCING DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE

Rationale

Health and healthcare disparities “refer to preventable differences in health and health care among groups that stem from broader social and economic factors.”¹ Health and healthcare disparities are associated with differences in access to preventive services, disease management, medication use, and health outcomes. Reducing disparities is an important component of improving the safety and effectiveness of healthcare for all patients. KFF (formerly known as The Kaiser Family Foundation), a highly regarded independent nonprofit organization focused on health policy, has given two reasons (in addition to basic fairness) why it is important to address this issue:

1. Health and healthcare disparities affect the nation’s overall health and economic prosperity. Disparities in health and healthcare can contribute to avoidable hospitalizations and complications that drive up expenditures. Efforts to reduce disparities can improve outcomes while enhancing the efficiency and value of healthcare delivery.
2. The issue will grow in importance as the nation’s population becomes more diverse and stark income inequalities persist.

Furthermore, cutting Medicaid and Affordable Care Act spending will likely widen health disparities and worsen access to care, reversing recent health equity progress.¹ Nearly two decades ago, an expert panel concluded that “health-system pharmacists have a professional and moral responsibility to address … disparities in healthcare” among some populations. This panel stated that “medication-use practices should reflect knowledge of, sensitivity to, and respect for the [background] of the patient” and “health-system pharmacists have a vital role to play in eliminating … disparities in healthcare.”² Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to identify and address factors that contribute to disparities through medication optimization, patient education, and improving access to medications and pharmacy services.