New course announcement: Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Care

A doctor sits with a mother and her toddler son. The doctor is leaning over the boy, smiling and putting his stethesope to the boy's chest.

How does your organization address racial equity and access to health care? Is diversity, bias, and inclusion a common conversation or evaluation to improve delivery?

Racial disparity in United States health care isn’t a new topic; for more than two decades researchers have focused on quality of care, access, and safety of people of color versus their white counterparts. While in recent years quality and access has improved thanks to initiatives like the Affordable Care Act, there is still a gap in the quality of care different groups receive. It’s vital to continue closing the biases and disparities in health care through education, communication, and action.

In Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Care, you will not only examine the disparities that exist when serving a diverse population, but also approach each inequity head-on to learn more about the causes and how to eliminate these issues. By focusing on data collection and performance measurements unique to your organization, you will identify how core issues in care quality of ethnic and racial minority groups, which are often multifactorial in nature, contribute to poorer health outcomes, lead to higher costs, and exemplify low-value health care.

By the end of this course, you will learn how to:

Identify the causes of racial disparities grounded in historical instances of segregation in health care
Use the Kotter method to identify organizational gaps and needs, create a vision for change, and implement an executable strategy to close disparities
Learn how to collect and analyze data unique to underserved populations to inform organizational change
Gain greater knowledge regarding how continued inequality affects overall quality and cost of care
Create a vision to obtain stakeholder buy-in and a strategic framework to implement solutions leading to high-value equitable health care

This course is led by Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, and Aswita Tan-McGrory, MBA, MSPH. Over the course of five weeks, you will use real-world examples, case studies, and insights from leaders in the field to help you digest the latest in understanding racial disparities in health care — allowing you to create strategic approaches that you can apply to your organization.

Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Care is eligible for a maximum of 22 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Participants may claim their credits through the Harvard Medical School’s continuing education platform. Learn more.

Applications for Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Care close February 27, 2023 at 11:59PM ET. Ensure your spot in the inaugural cohort by applying today!