Press Ganey and former U.S. Surgeon General partner to advance equity

Longstanding disparities in health and health care delivery came into sharp relief in 2020 as structural racism and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges. In response, last July we launched the Press Ganey Equity Partnership and we're joined by 200 of the largest hospitals and health systems in the United States in a mission to eliminate disparities and promote diversity in health care for all patients and caregivers. Our goal is to implement a data-driven, scientifically sound approach to improving equity in patient care and the health care workforce. Our experts, including Deirdre Mylod, PhD, and I, together with our policy team, led by Kaycee Glavich, shared our approach and our work with governments and private organizations across the country, which led to many collaborative and insightful discussions. One such conversation resulted in an invitation to give a presentation on our efforts to the then U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, in August 2020.

During our virtual meeting with Dr. Adams and his staff, we shared the important work of the Equity Partnership in helping clients collect and analyze race and ethnicity data, innovating to capture more patient and caregiver voices, and bringing leaders together to share, learn from one another, and improve efforts to reduce inequity. We’ve had similar discussions with organizations including CMS, AHA, FAH, ANA, AMA, ACHE, and others, and all share similar goals to advance health equity. As organizations seek our input on how to advance health equity efforts, we openly share the lessons we have learned so far, while also gaining insights from others.

As the world’s preeminent health care insight company, Press Ganey is uniquely positioned not only to identify and respond to burgeoning issues in the health care space, but also to influence the policy that directly impacts these issues and our 41,000 clients. Press Ganey’s policy and advisory teams keep our clients informed on the latest value-based care policies and predictions for future policies. To this end, our teams do the following:

• Work to closely monitor the regulatory and quality measurement landscape and anticipate changes
• Sit on forums with prominent government officials and policy leaders to help guide health care policy for the better
• Participate as members of the National Quality Forum (NQF) Measures Application Partnership Hospital Workgroup and other national patient experience, health care safety, and quality committees, technical expert panels, and roundtables
• Comment on policy changes proposed by key stakeholders, including CMS, Leapfrog, NQF, and NCQA
• Regularly engage CMS, national hospital associations, and other stakeholders, sharing insights from Press Ganey’s robust patient experience and workforce engagement data

Our pursuit of equity in health care is ongoing. We recently released a report that exposed significant disparities and barriers affecting the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The former U.S. Surgeon General continues to champion this topic and recently tweeted, “A new study from @PressGaney shows a huge racial gap in vaccine readiness.”

By bringing our perspectives to policy makers and government agencies, we continue to influence the decisions that have tangible effects on our clients and their ability to deliver the safest, highest-quality care possible. Thank you to our clients and our industry collaborators for partnering with us in this mission.

Read the full report on Press Ganey’s vaccine hesitancy and acceptance data.