The health equity commitment of Kaiser Permanente's late CEO and chair lives on through annual honor.
Kaiser Permanente and The Joint Commission have opened applications for The Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. The award will recognize "a healthcare organization for an intervention that led to a measurable and sustained reduction [emphasis included] in at least one healthcare disparity."
"The Tyson Award offers an opportunity to show that one of healthcare's most persistent, yet important, problems can be remedied," said Ana Pujols McKee, MD, EVP, CMO, and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for The Joint Commission.
In the announcement for the award, now in its second year, Kaiser EVP and CMO Andrew Bindman, MD, added: "In Bernard Tyson's honor, we are pleased to recognize organizations that make a meaningful and measurable impact on reducing the health inequities that have plagued historically underserved and underrepresented populations for far too long."
Explaining the joint award, Kaiser told HealthLeaders: "The Joint Commission looked to leaders in healthcare and healthcare equity and identified Bernard Tyson as the inspiring figure who would be the ideal namesake for a new award program aimed at providing incentives and best practices for the field to improve in healthcare equity. They engaged Kaiser Permanente and worked with us to design and launch the program."
Submitting a winning application
UMass Memorial Health was the first Tyson Award recipient in 2021. In an initiative that promoted well-child visits, UMass streamlined the appointment process, educated and provided reminders to and follow-ups with families, and used telehealth and transportation services to ensure check-ups took place. During the pandemic, visit numbers increased 12% and 16% respectively for children who were Latino and Black.
Last year's Tyson Award finalists included Atrium Health, Children's Minnesota, Northwestern Medicine, The New York and Presbyterian Hospital, and Yale New Haven Health System. Thirty-four unique organizations applied, including providers, health plans, and social needs organizations.
The data must be there
Data's importance is a common refrain for health equity efforts. Data collection on race, ethnicity, and language (REL), as well as sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), is difficult to collect from patients but is seen as the best source.
A programmatic emphasis on health equity prioritizes this data and its goals, even as collection, standardization, and ethics questions remain. CMS, individual health plans, and multi-stakeholder collaboratives have all committed, knowing that there is much work to be done.
REL and SOGI data challenges mirror those that linger from the HITECH Act and the Affordable Care Act and that continue to impact broader healthcare transformation. Improving quality, cost, and utilization remains a focus areas of value-based care as social determinants of health (SDOH) add a new but long-standing layer that differentiates the current system from one that is accessible, affordable, and equitable to all.
Application details
Organizations can submit applications through June 20, 2022. The award webpage includes eligibility criteria and submission guidance.
Laura Beerman is a contributing writer for HealthLeaders.