The Business Group Health Disparities Initiative:
Promoting Health for a Culturally Diverse Workforce
Background
Within the next decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that 41.5% of the U.S. workforce will be members of racial and ethnic minority groups. At the same time, numerous studies have shown that racial and ethnic health disparities exist in various aspects of the health care system. Controlling for economic and health insurance status, differences still appear in the diagnosis and treatment of specific health conditions, the utilization of preventive services, and health outcomes. Employers want to ensure quality health care for their workers and recognize its impact on employee health, productivity, performance and ultimately, business outcomes. However, employers may be unaware of inequities that exist in the health care system that can negatively influence one's health status. Awareness of these inequalities and of the diverse health care needs of the workforce is essential to employers when purchasing and planning appropriate health care services. This knowledge will allow employers to exercise their role as purchasers and leverage responses from health plans and providers.
To provide corporate leadership on this issue, the National Business Group on Health convened a forum in January 2001 where business leaders, researchers, and policymakers openly explored the impact of health disparities on workforce health and productivity. The success and interest in this meeting served as the impetus for launching the Business Group's Health Disparities Initiative.
Objectives
The Health Disparities Initiative, an innovative, multi-pronged project, encompasses the following three overall objectives:
- Provide information to large employers about the impact of documented health disparities on the ability to provide quality health care services;
- Provide practical solutions to employers on how to plan and purchase appropriate health care for a workforce that is increasingly diverse; and
- Represent the private purchaser perspective to researchers and policymakers working in this area and serve as a link between the business and public health communities.
Expert Review Panels
Early in the Initiative, the Business Group assembled two expert groups to provide invaluable guidance and review emerging materials. An Employer Council, representing the purchaser perspective, was established to provide input on the feasibility of implementing various tools and identify opportunities for best practices. A Technical Advisory Board, comprising of academic, government, advocacy and policy leaders working in various aspects of health disparities and cultural competency, was convened to lend expertise to add validity and substance to our tools and activities.
Activities
The Health Disparities Initiative consists of seven component parts. The following provides a brief description of each component.
The Cardiovascular Disease Pilot Project
As the first component of this Initiative, the Business Group, in collaboration with a team from Pfizer Inc and Pfizer Health Solutions Inc, is implementing a pilot project with three selected members of the Business Group. The pilot includes a survey instrument to help employers measure the scope of health disparities at their own work site by asking employees questions about their health and behavior such as family medical history, use of preventive services, and experiences with healthcare providers. Once the assessments are completed and analyzed, the employers will receive reports summarizing the findings, along with suggestions for actionable solutions and available resources that are specific to their workforce. The evaluation of this project will examine whether changes were made to the company's health care purchasing guidelines and/or employee wellness programs.
Health Disparities Solutions Series
Each month the Business Group, with the support of the Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, will host an interactive conference call that focuses on a different issue related to health disparities. Through the Solutions Series, the call participants — current Business Group members — are afforded an opportunity to ask pressing questions and share resources and experiences with one another. The inaugural Solutions Series call, which focused on cultural competency and health care, occurred in September and featured brief presentations from representatives from Verizon Communications and Aetna, Inc. Subsequent Solutions Series calls explored our experiences implementing the health disparities survey, as well as disparities and obesity, and disparities and diabetes.
Reducing Health Disparities: The Business Case and Practical Strategies
With the support of the DHHS Office of Minority Health, the Business Group is currently developing an analysis paper for an employer audience that presents the business case for addressing health disparities. It will lay out the magnitude and determinants of health disparities, review and translate current research for its applicability to the employer community, describe recent prevention and intervention strategies and policies, and provide tools and practical, forward-thinking solutions for employers to consider.
A National Employer Survey
With technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Princeton Survey Research Associates International, the Business Group will design and disseminate a survey among the employer community to: determine employer perceptions of the impact of health disparities; identify existing health programs or processes that address minority populations at the work-site; and ascertain what information is needed to increase employer understanding and facilitate strategies to reduce health disparities.
A Toolkit Guide for Employers
This Toolkit Guide will serve as a comprehensive resource for employers who want to implement practical, forward-thinking solutions at their work site in order to help eliminate health disparities. Consisting of many components, the guide will: summarize current laws around asking race and ethnicity questions; describe cultural competency guidelines for health care purchasing; examine the advantages of working with company diversity departments to provide appropriate health care; showcase disease-specific case studies and examples of best practices that employers can use as models; and include issue briefs on topics related to health disparities that employers can use as resources.
A Communications Component: Developing Messages That Work
Working with a public relations firm, the Business Group will implement a year-long communications plan with two overall objectives: 1) to develop effective messages around health disparities to an employer audience; and 2) to strategically place and disseminate these messages to maximize their reach and impact.
On-Line Resource Center
The on-line resource center will serve as a "one-stop-shop" for large employers interested in any aspect of health disparities. In addition to showcasing the Business Group's materials on this issue, the on-line resource center also will house recent research findings as well as information and links to reputable outside resources.
For More Information
For more information on the Business Group's Health Disparities Initiative, please contact:
Britt Weinstock, MA
Manager, Center for Prevention and Health Services
National Business Group on Health
(202)628-9320 (main); weinstock@businessgrouphealth.org (email)
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