Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services released enhanced
National Care Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
(CLAS) in health care. The enhanced standards, developed by the
HHS Office of Minority Health, are a comprehensive update of the 2000 National
CLAS Standards, and include the expertise of federal and non-federal partners
nationwide.
These standards, according to the Office of
Minority Health, are intended to advance
health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by
providing a blueprint for individuals and health care organizations to
implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
The burden of
insufficient and inequitable care related to racial and ethnic health
disparities has been estimated to top $1 trillion, according to a study cited by HHS. These losses are due
to the provision of care to a sicker and more disadvantaged population, as well
as the indirect costs of health inequities such as lost productivity, lost
wages, absenteeism, family leave, and premature death. Specifically, the study found that More than
30 percent of direct medical costs faced by African Americans, Hispanics, and
Asian Americans were excess costs due to health inequities – more than $230
billion over a four year period.
The new standards, released at a joint press event with the Kaiser
Family Foundation, are part of an effort to emphasize the importance of integrating standards into
practice in order to improve quality of care and services for everyone.
HHS officials were joined in the
announcement by representatives from the American Hospital Association, Texas
Health Institute, and National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown
University.
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