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Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation (CORE)
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INFORMATION FOR

Health Equity

At CORE we understand that inequities in healthcare access, delivery and health outcomes are at the root of many of the persistent challenges that plague the US healthcare system including under-investment in prevention, expensive and low-value healthcare, burden of chronic disease among US adults, futile, harmful, and exorbitant expenditures at the end of life, patient harm, and many others. For decades we have produced analyses, public information, and quality performance metrics to demonstrate these persistent inequities and their root causes. Today we are committed to applying our expertise in healthcare policy, healthcare analytics, measure science, and the healthcare marketplace to create solutions to produce health equity.

To achieve this goal, we are developing innovative tools using applied analytics to support equity in healthcare delivery and outcomes. This requires us to bring in new voices, new perspectives, and new ways to integrate information from disparate sources to inform and drive change. Our staff serve on national committees and panels and contribute to peer-reviewed literature. They are sought after as key thought leaders and strategic advisors in shaping and informing the push toward health equity. To achieve consensus and alignment on our approaches, we are dedicated to engaging and soliciting input from all critical stakeholders – with the patient voice being at the center.

Examples of CORE’s accomplishments in health equity:

  • Go-to Expert in Health Equity Quality Measurement for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: We develop numerous health equity measures across CMS programs, including the Health Equity Index, develop methods for reporting disparities applicable to many additional measures, and author CMS guidance materials, such as the Health Equity Stratification Guide.
  • Maternal Health Equity Measurement: As part of a multi-year collaboration with the Connecticut Health Foundation and state Department of Social Services, we developed a series of equity-focused principles to guide development of a maternal health value-based payment bundle within Medicaid, and to center continued attention toward measure disparities and equity goals.