Why Effective Partnerships Are Essential for Advancing Health Equity

What’s Trending: Achieving Health Equity Requires Collaboration Between Healthcare Organizations, Payers, and Community Stakeholders

Achieving health equity is complicated, and it isn’t something that healthcare organizations can do entirely on their own. Instead, it requires?dynamic collaboration —an ecosystem in which payers, providers, community organizations, policy and advocacy groups, and other entities work together to effect change.

Why It Matters:

Collaborating with the health equity ecosystem requires key players to think deliberately about the care continuum.

When looking specifically at the role healthcare organizations can play, it depends on the organization and its internal capacity, says Nathan Hall , Strategy Principal with Chartis. While optimizing the clinical encounter is critical, healthcare organizations have a unique and privileged position to seek funding, support, and legislation that advances health equity. Their position within the local healthcare ecosystem, combined with their existing resources, can enable them to effectively bring together other members of that ecosystem, he adds.

Healthcare organizations can also push the boundaries of traditional roles by partnering with other types of organizations that will enable patients to stay healthy over the long term, says Mohammed Nomani , Associate Principal with Chartis Payer Advisory.

For example, Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) can work with health systems to identify high-need Medicaid enrollees. And they can work with community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve under-resourced populations to provide and pay for evidence-based non-medical services, such as nutrition, housing, transportation, education, employment support, and interpersonal and toxic stress management.?

Various states are using the Medicaid 1115 waivers as a vehicle to improve access to social supports for populations with high and complex needs, streamline payment to CBOs, and integrate access and financing of social supports into the mainstream delivery of healthcare.

No matter what role your organization plays in the ecosystem, finding where your organization has a unique edge—and leaning in—will enable everyone to maximize their contributions.

What’s Next

It’s through this collaborative approach—paired with prevention and upstream interventions for social determinants of health, robust data, and a sustainable funding model—that organizations will truly start to see progress.

When it comes to a robust data strategy, organizations need to look at where disparities or inequities exist today for different patient populations, says Krista Stepney , Principal and Vice President of Chartis Just Health Collective.

Starting with this focused, data-driven approach helps organizations define clear solutions. It also means there will be a more realistic number of key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and partners to coordinate—both of which can lead to more successful outcomes.

Organizations must also look closely at their health needs assessments, says Mark Bourdenko , Strategy Principal with Chartis. “What programs are already in place to address these needs? How can you transform? Once there’s some internal consensus around that, it’s about design leaders who will be accountable for bringing other partners along,” he says.

Moving forward, the key will be bridging stakeholders from across the ecosystem around shared objectives and aligned economic incentives. Organizations often start this process by convening to develop a common vision for under-resourced communities or patient segments, identifying key metrics or outcomes of interest, and developing funding pathways for effective, value-based care models.

“Healthcare organizations nationally are pursuing transformative partnerships to address longstanding disparities in areas such as behavioral health, chronic disease, and maternal and infant health,” says Bourdenko. “These collaborations rest on effective care and delivery models, aligned economic models, and community trust.”?

It’s clear that dramatically advancing health equity will require the involvement of multiple entities across the ecosystem. As more entities come together and collaborate, leveraging their unique strengths and capabilities, more communities will realize equitable health.

Explore more health equity and belonging insights here .

__________________________________________________________________________

ABOUT CHARTIS

Chartis is a leading healthcare advisory services firm serving healthcare providers, payers, service organizations, and investors. Chartis brings an unparalleled breadth and depth of expertise in strategy, performance improvement, digital and technology, clinical quality and patient safety, health equity and belonging, and strategic communications. Learn how Chartis is helping to build a healthier world at www.chartis.com .

Want more fresh perspectives to help you think about, plan, and execute strategies for what’s next in healthcare? Subscribe to our latest thinking and check out our weekly blog, Chartis Top Reads .