Press Releases: 2009

AmeriHealth Mercy Employees Selected for National Leadership Program to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care

June 9, 2009
Philadelphia, PA – Barrie Baker, MD, and Veronica Medina, MSW, LSW, of the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies have been selected to participate in a year-long executive leadership program designed to tackle racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Baker and Medina are two of only 24 individuals from 12 health care organizations from across the United States to be selected for the Disparities Leadership Program 2009-2010. They will join 30 other organizations who have participated in the Disparities Leadership Program from 2007-2009.

The Disparities Leadership Program is the first program of its kind in the nation, and is designed for leaders from hospitals, health insurance plans, and other health care organizations who are seeking to develop practical strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care. The program is led by the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Massachusetts.

The goal of the Disparities Leadership Program is to create a cadre of health care leaders who have:

• in-depth knowledge of the research and causes of health care disparities
• cutting-edge, quality improvement strategies and skills to address disparities, and
• leadership skills to implement solutions to help transform their organizations.

"This program is about developing new leaders and taking action. It is about helping individuals and their health care organizations understand the critical connection between improving quality and eliminating disparities in care through a concerted, coordinated effort to change our health care system," said Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH, Director of the Disparities Solutions Center at MGH, and a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee, which produced the 2002 landmark report Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health Care.

This report revealed striking disparities in the quality of health care services delivered to minority and white patients -- even for patients of the same socioeconomic background and access to care. "These health care organizations are clearly distinguishing themselves as national leaders by taking action to identify and address disparities," Dr. Betancourt said.

"We are pleased to have two leaders from AmeriHealth Mercy participating in this important program," said Daniel J. Hilferty, President and Chief Executive Officer of the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies. "As a company focused on serving the poor and the underserved, we feel a special responsibility to eliminate racial and ethnic barriers to health care."

Created in July 2005 as the nation's first, hospital-based disparities center, the Disparities Solutions Center at MGH has significant experience in addressing racial and ethnic disparities in care. The Disparities Leadership Program is jointly sponsored by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and supported by Joint Commission Resources (JCR), an affiliate of the Joint Commission.