Eliminating Racial Healthcare Disparities in the Payer Industry

With their member data and member engagement capabilities, payers are uniquely positioned to reduce healthcare disparities. Kedar Mate, president and chief executive officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and Mark Friedberg, senior vice president of performance measurement and improvement at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), describe areas in which the payer industry has historically failed to eliminate racial care disparities and they explain steps that payers can take to eliminate disparities in their communities and companies.