Why health equity’s goal shouldn’t be outcomes

Becker's Healthcare October 30, 2024
Mariah Taylor

Health systems across the nation are working to improve health equity for patients, but many systems approach the issue with an outcomes-focused lens, which may actually make equity harder to achieve.

“We’re all so focused on this end goal of outcomes, wanting to show that we reduced a disparity or somehow eliminated the gap between African Americans and another group,” Srinivas Merugu, MD, president of MetroHealth’s Institute for HOPE, told Becker’s. “But guess what? It’s going to feel like playing whack-a-mole if that’s the only focus. That’s why I believe we need to move away from an emphasis solely on outcomes.”

Dr. Merugu proposes a different metric for health equity — opportunities.

“Opportunities are where our focus needs to be,”...

Today's Sponsors

Today's Sponsor