In an effort to address racial and ethnic disparities in health care, Essentia Health will begin seeking additional information from their patients.
Essentia will ask patients if they would like to expand the information they share about their race, ethnicity and preferred language. They also will ask if they’d like to update their religious or spiritual preferences.
Essentia says it will allow them to learn more about the patients and communities they serve and help provide better care.
In a news release, Dr. Gratia Pitcher, Essentia's chief patient quality and safety officer, said learning more about patients makes it possible to develop plans to address care disparities.
“By collecting more comprehensive race and ethnicity data, we will be able to improve equitable access to care," she stated in the release.
Pitcher notes while some of this data already is collected, current questions omit certain population groups and are not specific enough to provide meaningful guidance in addressing gaps in care.
“Essentia is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging,” she added. “It’s critically important that all of our patients feel heard, understood and accepted."
The changes to patient questions began on Tuesday, Oct. 17, with more information about Essentia's strategic plan for diversity, equity and inclusion available on its website.
