Health Disparities

Health disparities have the largest impact on the access, quality of care and outcomes overall in many patient populations defined by factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, education level, income, disability, geographic location. Many other factors also play a role, including if a patient is in a rural of urban location, distances to hospitals, pharmacies and clinics. These factors of inequitable access or healthcare are often directly related to the historical and ongoing unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources. This page includes content defining health disparities and efforts to address them.
AHA President Michelle Albert explains what can be done to boost healthcare equity and diversity in cardiology.

AHA President Michelle Albert on addressing health equity issues in cardiology

American Heart Association President Michelle Albert, MD, talked to us about about how to address health inequities in cardiology departments.

The 120,000-square-foot advanced outpatient care center on the 4800 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue is expected to serve more than 50,000 patients annually from Bronzeville and nearby communities. Northwestern also wants to try and staff the majority of the clinic with clinicians who are Black to better reflect the community they will be serving. Construction could begin in summer 2023, with a scheduled opening in summer of 2025.

VIDEO: Northwestern plans to open Chicago South Side clinic to address healthcare access

Northwestern's Clyde Yancy, MD, discusses how his health system is addressing health access equity issues with plans to open a new outpatient clinic on the historically Black Chicago South Side.

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Cardiologists push for a more diverse, inclusive healthcare workforce

A recent roundtable discussion focused on how today's healthcare leaders can "begin to dismantle the systems that perpetuate inequities in medicine and build new systems that promote diversity, equity and inclusive excellence."

Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, vice dean for diversity and inclusion, chief of cardiology in the Department of Medicine, and a professor of medicine in cardiology and medical social sciences at Northwestern Medicine, discusses health equity issues in cardiology at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 meeting.

VIDEO: Health equity and diversity is a business model

Clyde Yancy, MD, vice dean for diversity and inclusion, chief of cardiology, and a professor of medicine in cardiology and medical social sciences at Northwestern Medicine, discusses health equity issues and how greater inclusion should be a business model because of changing demographics.

Late-breaking cardiovascular study presentation at AHA 2022. #AHA22

VIDEO: Key takeaways from AHA 2022

Manesh R. Patel, MD, chair of AHA Scientific Sessions program, explains what he saw as the top takeaways from AHA 2022.

Leslee Shaw, PhD, MSCCT, FACC, MASNC, FAHA, director of the Blavatnik Family Women's Health Research Institute, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a former president of both SCCT and ASNC. She explains the sex differences in cardiovascular imaging presentations in women versus men.

VIDEO: CT can play a role in identifying women's differences in cardiovascular presentations

Leslee Shaw, PhD, director of the Blavatnik Family Women's Health Research Institute, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a former president of both SCCT and ASNC, explains the sex differences in cardiovascular imaging presentations in women versus men. 

Validation and testing of all artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms is needed to eliminate any biases in the data used to train the AI, according to HIMSS.

VIDEO: Understanding biases in healthcare AI

Validation and testing of all algorithms is needed to eliminate any biases in the data used to train the AI, according to Julius Bogdan, vice president and general manager of the HIMSS Digital Health Advisory Team for North America.

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VIDEO: Use of AI to address health equity and health consumerization

Julius Bogdan, vice president and general manager of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Digital Health Advisory Team for North America, explains the use of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to help address health disparities and the rise of healthcare consumerism.

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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