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Reducing Disparities Downstream: Prospects and Challenges

  • Health Policy
  • Published:
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Summary

Addressing upstream or fundamental causes (such as poverty, limited education, and compromised healthcare access) is essential to reduce healthcare disparities. But such approaches are not sufficient, and downstream interventions, addressing the consequences of those fundamental causes within the context of any existing health system, are also necessary. We present a definition of healthcare disparities and two key principles (that healthcare is a social good and disparities in outcomes are a quality problem) that together provide a framework for addressing disparities downstream. Adapting the chronic care model, we examine a hierarchy of three domains for interventions (health system, provider–patient interactions, and clinical decision making) to reduce disparities downstream and discuss challenges to implementing the necessary changes.

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Acknowledgement

Preparation of this manuscript was aided, in part, by an NHLBI grant: R01HL081066-01A2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Healthcare Policy and Research, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Peter Franks MD

  2. Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA

    Kevin Fiscella MD, MPH

  3. Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA

    Kevin Fiscella MD, MPH

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  1. Peter Franks MD
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Correspondence to Peter Franks MD.

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Franks, P., Fiscella, K. Reducing Disparities Downstream: Prospects and Challenges. J GEN INTERN MED 23, 672–677 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0509-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0509-0

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