title: Improving the Collection of Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data to Reduce Healthcare Disparities: A Case Study from an Academic Medical Center.
abstract: Well-designed electronic health records (EHRs) must integrate a variety of accurate information to support efforts to improve quality of care, particularly equity-in-care initiatives. This case study provides insight into the challenges those initiatives may face in collecting accurate race, ethnicity, and language (REAL) information in the EHR. We present the experience of an academic medical center strengthening its EHR for better collection of REAL data with funding from the EHR Incentive Programs for meaningful use of health information technology and the Texas Medicaid 1115 Waiver program. We also present a plan to address some of the challenges that arose during the course of the project. Our experience at an academic medical center can provide guidance about the likely challenges similar institutions may expect when they implement new initiatives to collect REAL data, particularly challenges regarding scope, personnel, and other resource needs.
authors.affiliation: Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.
authors.forename: Wei-Chen
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.
authors.forename: Sreenivas P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Veeranki
authors.affiliation: Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.
authors.forename: Hani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Serag
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eschbach
authors.affiliation: Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000068598:Data Accuracy; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards*; D005006:Ethnicity; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D044469:Racial Groups; D013781:Texas; D014481:United States