title: Strategies for Medicare health plans serving racial and ethnic minorities.
abstract: The Medicare Managed Care (MMC) Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (CAHPS) survey offers an opportunity to examine differences in health plan experiences and patterns of use of services of racial and ethnic minority beneficiaries enrolled in health plans. Analysis of the survey data and review of prior literature indicate significant health disparities and different patterns of health care use by racial and ethnic minorities. Improved measurement of health plan performance in serving minority enrollees, and development of performance improvement strategies, could have the potential to reduce the observed health disparities.
authors.affiliation: klangwell@projecthope.org
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Langwell
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Moser
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019985:Benchmarking; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016345:Medicare Part B / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008913:Minority Groups; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology