Engagement and Equity Assessment
Better Healthcare Outcomes Start with Engagement
Improving healthcare quality, safety, reliability, and equity requires more than traditional programs. Research has shown that high-performing hospitals and healthcare systems consistently improve outcomes by enhancing standard initiatives. Time and again, they show significant, quantifiable results when they strategically integrate health equity and patient/person and family engagement (PFE) across their entire ecosystem. The cornerstone of our work is the ATW Health Solutions’ Equity and Engagement Assessment, a pioneering tool implemented in over 200 hospitals. This patented comprehensive assessment examines the culture of safety and system for high reliability within organizations, offering a benchmark by identifying areas for improvement in line with the latest scientific research on patient engagement and health equity in healthcare safety. It serves as a critical resource for healthcare organizations aiming to enhance their delivery systems by focusing on the pillars of safety, reliability, and equity.
Go Beyond Patient Experience to Improve Healthcare Quality, Safety, and Satisfaction
Financial: Health disparities cost the U.S. health system $451 billion annually, according to a new study published in JAMA. For hospitals, inadequate access to preventive care in underserved communities leads to more emergency department visits and hospitalizations for avoidable conditions. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for preventable conditions can be avoided with better access to preventive care in underserved communities. Data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality suggest that up to 27% of emergency department visits could be managed in physician offices, clinics, and urgent care centers—saving $4.4 billion annually.
Reputational: A healthcare organization’s commitment to actively addressing health disparities can shape how patients, the community, and potential employees view it. Health disparities decrease levels of trust—an essential component to building and maintaining positive relationships—in historically marginalized communities, with 20% of Americans reporting they have experienced discrimination within the healthcare system.
Legal: Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), hospitals and their leaders are legally responsible for addressing health disparities.
“We utilized the Engagement and Equity Assessment product to establish strategic goals with Senior Leadership and to execute.”
– The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
The Impact of Authentic Engagement
Authentic engagement of patients, families, and communities requires healthcare organizations to embrace and elevate patients' voices from all walks of life. It crosses race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Such engagement enables organizations to collaborate with patients, families, and community members to design effective healthcare services and solutions. It also can drive improved outcomes, satisfaction, and policy change.
What We Offer
Drawing from our years in healthcare and research, we developed a tool to enhance operations and improve patient outcomes. ATW Health’s Engagement and Equity Assessment, formerly the Integrated PFE Index Assessment, helps organizations understand their strengths and identify opportunities when applying a human experience-centered approach to improving safety and quality. Our innovative assessment applies a scientifically tested and evidence-based method that accelerates quality improvement, safety outcomes, health equity, and cost reduction. We help organizations reach the top performance and delivery levels that give patients the desired health outcomes. The Engagement and Equity Assessment provides healthcare leaders with a comprehensive analytical assessment that benchmarks their organization and provides detailed recommendations for immediate implementation. As measured by our evaluation, integrating PFE and health equity practices has improved highly problematic quality and safety areas, including readmissions and falls.
How it Works
ATW Health’s unique assessment will provide quantitative benchmarking and a customized human-centered implementation plan for your healthcare organization. By providing ongoing evaluation and continued support, we ensure that your organization succeeds in improving quality, safety, and equity measures.
ATW Health Guides Further Improvement
We offer a customized, ongoing support program explicitly targeted to bolster the areas that show room for improvement. After one year, we re-evaluate and continue to provide training and education where it is most needed. This makes it an agile, personalized, and action-oriented program designed to improve organizational performance and patient health outcomes.