Resource Details

Updated Analysis: A Data-Driven Approach to Understanding Factors Contributing to Health Inequities

Year Developed: 2023

Resource Type: Publication.

Primary Audience: Board of Directors C-Suite (CEOs, CFOs, CIO, COOs, CMOs, etc.) PCAs
Secondary Audience: Administrative Staff Clinicians Enabling Staff Outreach Staff

Language(s): English

Developed by: Capital Link (See other resources developed by this organization).

Resource Summary: This resource, an updated version of A Data Driven Approach to Understanding Factors Contributing to Health Inequities, released in 2022, was developed with support from Cedars-Sinai and HealthLandscape. In this analysis, we review more than 100 factors for the 57 FQHC members of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) for 2017-2021, with the goal to utilize the findings to make informed recommendations for how to best address and improve patient equity and inclusion efforts across health centers in Los Angeles County and the Nation overall.

Resource Details: Capital Link prepared an updated 2017-2021 data-driven analysis on the factors influencing health inequities in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)1 following its first Los Angeles-based study on the topic published in March 2022, A Data Driven Approach to Understanding Factors Contributing to Health inequities and, the summary report, Health Center Financial Strength and Health Inequities: A Study of Los Angeles-Based FQHCs. For this follow-up analysis, Capital Link, with the assistance of HealthLandscape, again reviewed more than 100 factors for the 57 FQHC members of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) for 2017-2021. Similar to the prior study, the analysis considered population demographics such as health center patient service area social deprivation index (SDI)2 level, poverty, and homelessness, as well as racial and ethnic population composition, patient and payer insurance mix, service offerings, growth rates, and similar factors related to its long-term financial sustainability, accessibility, and health outcomes. In addition, for this latest analysis, we spoke with health center leaders and other industry stakeholders to better understand cultural, capacity, and additional barriers to improving health equity. Results were reviewed from four perspectives as outlined below and reconfirmed important differences among FQHCs in Los Angeles County based on the characteristics of the health centers and their patient populations. The goal of this second study is to utilize the findings to make informed recommendations for how to best address and improve patient equity and inclusion efforts across health centers in Los Angeles County and the Nation overall.

Resource Topic: Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), Clinical Issues

Resource Subtopic: Health Equity, COVID-19.

Keywords: Access to Care, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AA&NHPIs), Blacks/African Americans, Data Collection, Management, and Analytics, Discrimination, Hispanic Americans/Latinos, Latinas, Patient Demographics.