Connecting Quality of Care Measures and Healthcare Disparities

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Baldrige Award in healthcare has become a national symbol of quality measurement and standard for best practices. Despite its emphasis on quality, diversity and patient-centered care, the Award does not explicitly address healthcare disparities. This paper argues that the Baldrige Award can attain a higher fidelity between its intent and outcome by including measurable efforts of healthcare organizations to reduce healthcare disparities. While activities at the organizational level represent only one part of the environment in which healthcare disparities exist, integration of quality measures and healthcare disparities in the Baldrige criteria will serve as a cornerstone on which future work in health disparities can build. This paper examines the seven criteria of the Award and suggests methods of integrating process and outcome requirements aimed at reducing healthcare disparities. These criteria include: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, workforce focus, process management and results. The Baldrige Award criteria offer fertile ground for substantial improvement in healthcare disparity data collection, accountability and remedy. Quality improvement initiatives in healthcare settings are being developed at a rapid pace; now is the time to establish policies that promote healthcare disparities as a quality of care issue and improve the lives of millions each year.