Leveraging data will enable health care providers to build programs that address areas of disparity, from language barriers to mental health access to colorectal cancer testing.
Tennessee Voices: A conversation with Andrea Willis and Sherry Zink
BlueCross BlueShield Tennessee CMO Andrea Willis and CDO Sherri Zink spoke with David Plazas, Director of The Tennessean Opinion and Engagement.
nashville tennessean
- Sherri Zink is Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines health equity as “a state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve the highest level of health.”
What may seem like a simple concept actually has layers of complexity. Its complexity can only be understood through data.
In 2023, we launched our annual Health Equity Report to raise awareness about health inequities in our communities. Our first report explores what measures we should focus on and where we need to work more closely with communities, health partners and leaders to address these barriers to care. has become clear.
The 2024 Report is also driven by analytics and built on the unique role we can play by leveraging secure, anonymized member data to tell our stories.
We also put the lessons we learned into action.
The main health questions are:
For example, when studying chronic disease, we worked with health care professionals and research institutions to look at things like high blood pressure, well-controlled conditions, and blood sugar levels. This information will not appear on your invoice. Early on, we also collaborated with research institutions like Meharry Medical School to help assess the impact of social risk factors in the community.
- Where are the language barriers?
- Where is the financial burden and financial instability?
- Which regions are experiencing food insecurity?
This data shows that in certain regions of Tennessee, health care disparities are exacerbated by population based on these social risk factors.
By compiling this information, we can help you understand what’s happening on the public health front lines across Tennessee.
Three key findings from the stock report
The recently released 2024 report found:
- Maternal health disparities persist and contribute to maternal mortality. For example, substance abuse contributes to her 39% of all pregnancy-related deaths.
- Members of Hispanic descent are the least likely of all racial groups in Tennessee to be tested for colorectal cancer at the recommended age.
- In 2021, one in four Tennesseans had a mental illness, and Black members were less likely than other races to receive follow-up care within seven days of hospitalization.
There are issues of disparity in maternal health.
The biggest disparity we’re seeing right now is in maternal health. Our data show that immunization rates among pregnant women are low, too few women receive timely prenatal care, and too many mothers die during childbirth. This is unacceptable and must change.
We are starting by addressing the social drivers of health for these women, areas where we can work with health care providers to ensure mothers receive culturally appropriate care. I think there is.
This type of care involves a deeper understanding of diverse populations, resulting in specific standards and practices created to improve their health outcomes. We purchase modules on culturally competent care and share the training for free with any provider who wants it. We want this to be a two-way street.
Childhood immunization is also an area of concern. We continue to see declines across all racial and ethnic groups, which may be partially due to lingering hesitancy following the pandemic. We don’t want children to get preventable diseases like measles, so we focus on sharing the importance of these treatments and helping people reconnect with their primary care providers. I am.
Creating value-based programs for providers based on some of these metrics has helped move the needle in a positive direction across all racial and ethnic groups. In the future, we would like to add more self-reported data from members. We have made great strides by working with our providers and her BlueCare partners.
We are also encouraged by our customers in employer groups who are asking us what they can do to obtain more accurate information on race and ethnicity to better support the health needs of their employees. .
As my colleague Dr. Andrea Willis says, our data tells a story, but we recognize that it is only part of the story. Our hope is that we can continue to bring other storytellers into this story and write a better future together.
Sherri Zink is Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
