Oral

To achieve health equity, we must have a scientifically sound way to reduce health risks, improve access to quality health care and promote healthy living. To do that, we must have a consistent method for collecting data for analysis. Past efforts to address disparities have been limited by lack of specificity, standardization and quality in data collection. Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act required the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to draft new data collection standards for race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status. The Act, coupled with the HHS plan to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities, and the HHS plan for AANHPIs, are critical levers to overcoming data limitations. They address health disparities not only for those disparities that exist between racial and ethnic groups, but those differences that exist within a racial or ethnic group. The final Section 4302 standards were released at the American Public Health Association Convention in November of 2011. The starting point for these race and ethnicity data collection standards comes from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The new standards build upon the OMB minimum standards, adding the type of granularity or categories for Hispanic and Asian population used in the American Community Survey, and the 2000 and 2010 Census. The new Asian American categories are: Indian, Chinese, Pilipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, other Asian; NHPI are: Native Hawaiian, Guamanian, Samoan and other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic are: Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Chicana, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Other Hispanic, Latino, Latina or Spanish Origin. These data standards also include primary language with English proficiency being the minimum standard, and agencies have the option of collecting data on a specific language spoken. The purpose of this Equal Health Opportunity Committee session is to stimulate more innovative ideas re: how to address and eliminate health disparities in the wake of the Affordable Care Act and discussions related to the Health Equity & Accountability Act. The panel will provide an opportunity for HHS and public health experts representing communities of color to discuss what the new data standards mean for the AANHPI, Latino, Native American and African-American communities.

Session Objectives: 1. Discuss the importance of Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act. 2. Identify the benefits of the new data standards as it relates to health equity. 3. Discuss the upsides and downsides to implementing the data standards to reduce health disparities in the short- and long-run.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)