185131 Using Technology to Improve Minority Health

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 1:10 PM

Garth N. Graham, MD, MPH , U.S. Office of Minority Health, Rockville, MD
Miryam Gerdine, MPH , Office of Health Information Technology and Quality/OSHA HRSA, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD
Mark Goh , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, Rockville, MD
Rochelle Rollins, PhD , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, Rockville, MD
  
1.Summer 2005, Office of Minority Health in collaboration with Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at HHS, hosted a Roundtable on Health Information Technology and Health Disparities for Limited English Proficiency and Low Literacy Populations. Roundtable had three purposes, to begin an important dialog on the potential opportunities and barriers with the use of patient-focused information technology for low literacy and limited English proficient communities, to learn from each other on promising patient-focused HITs that have reduced racial/ethnic health care access barriers for both low literacy and LEP, and to also discuss a future vision for health IT and the reduction of disparities related to LEP and low literacy. As a result of these discussions, OMH has created an eight point strategy on HIT and underserved populations.

2.The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the OMH strategy on HIT and underserved populations.

3.Fall 2007, OMH in collaboration with the Health Resources Services Administration, Office of Health Information Technology have created a new work group on Health IT and Underserved Populations to look at the impact of Departmental activities around health IT and underserved populations, including an assessment of ongoing activities, challenges and potential opportunities to further incorporate a focus on disparity populations in Departmental activities around HIT. OMH co-chairs this new work group.

4.One of the products of the work group is an environmental scan on what has been published on HIT and underserved populations. The findings of this environmental scan will be presented at the conference. During this same time, OMH leadership was invited to serve on the AHIC (American Health Information Community) Consumer Empowerment work group. OMH has provided specific recommendations to the Consumer Empowerment work group on how to use technology to improve minority health.

5.Input/discussion on the recommendations and strategy implementation will be entertained.

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe and list the eight strategies of the OMH strategy for HIT and underserved populations. 2.Discuss the HIT and underserved populations environmental scan paper 3.Assess the HIT and underserved populations implementation stories 4.Recognize the AHIC Consumer Empowerment recommendations for underserved populations

Keywords: Underserved Populations, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Director for OMH
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Addressing Healthcare Disparities in Information Technology
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