Increased health equity
Industry and market trends towards health equity
In April 2022, the US Health and Human Services pledged 90 million USD to support new data-driven efforts for Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center programs to identify and reduce health disparities. This initiative is designed to collect more and better data on social determinants of health (SDOH) while improving data quality. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the largest payer of healthcare in the US, has also enhanced the collection of data, mandating a screener, which includes items such as housing instability and food insecurity. The US has increasingly set ambitious goals towards the elimination of health disparities over several decades, and while it’s still considered a work-in-progress, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released the National Healthcare Quality Report in 2021, revealing that ethnic minority groups have experienced improving care for many measures. While overall progress has been slow, the US has made significant strides to enhance health equity data, which has led to more mature and scalable health equity efforts.
The persistence of health equity disparities
While there have been advancements in healthcare and disease prevention, health disparities persist for economically disadvantaged minorities, and limited progress has been made in understanding the genetic differences and their interactions with environmental, behavioral, and social determinants of health. SDOH most often directly impact minority, disadvantaged, and rural populations, and early exposure to these stressors and disadvantages can manifest in chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, later in life.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) play a critical role in health equity
Current interventions include those aimed at improving health and lifestyle behaviors, such as support groups for domestic violence and access to food and healthcare. However, these approaches do not sufficiently address socioeconomic disadvantages that drive health disparities. For example, children born in poverty are more likely to live in an environment that poses risks to their safety and less likely to have access to parks, playgrounds, or libraries. If the individual lacks the resources to move to a safer neighborhood, other interventions may only make a marginal difference in improving overall health.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services
Advancing health equityLeading life sciences organizations are galvanizing under the call for health equity in a world of increasing diversity and intersectionality. Slalom recommends five areas of actionable opportunities for those invested in improving the levers of health equity for patients around the world.
1. Enable data-driven insights to address health disparities. Accurate and comprehensive data is the foundation for identifying health disparities across multiple SDOH, enabling life science companies to develop strategies to address the disparities and measure the outcomes of their actions.
2. Listen and learn about underrepresented and marginalized communities’ unique healthcare needs. Stronger efforts must be made to listen and understand the needs of each community that has been historically underserved and underrepresented in clinical and medical settings to understand their needs, values, drivers to seek care, and barriers to access.
3. Partner and co-create with patient advocacy groups to empower patients on the ground. The life sciences industry needs to actively empower patients and healthcare providers at the local and community levels, and one of the most effective ways of achieving measurable outcomes is to partner closely with community-level advocacy groups, enhancing patient autonomy and adherence.
4. Foster internal alignment within life sciences organizations to ensure cohesive implementation. Particularly pertinent for global, multi-therapeutic area drug manufacturers, proactive governance and communications are required to foster collaboration and ensure ongoing cross-pollination among stakeholders from diverse regions, therapeutic areas, and therapies.
5. Leverage the power of innovative technology to accelerate the progress of health equity. LS industry must put patient-centricity at the forefront of achieving health equity, ensuring their needs and experiences are addressed. Providing patients with tools to actively manage their health can help bridge the gaps in healthcare access. Leveraging innovative technology in precision medicine, digital health, and GenAI is a powerful way to prioritize patient-centricity. Telemedicine, wearables, and automation can help minimize the burden of traveling for patients with geographical and socioeconomic challenges.
Slalom contributors: Haein Huh, Sharon Chae Haver
