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Insurer offers program to improve cultural awareness

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, August 12, 2005

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A 2002 Institute of Medicine report titled "Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare" cited disparities in healthcare delivery to people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds as a major cause of poor health outcomes. To combat this issue, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) recently began an innovative online course for physicians titled "Quality Interactions: a Patient-Based Approach to Cross-Cultural Care." The course helps physicians improve communication with patients from different cultures. Physicians are introduced to photos and descriptions of individuals representing different ethnicities, and then engage in conversations typical of an office visit with these patients and their family members. The quality of the doctor's conversation is then scored, based on the patient's understanding. BCBSF is the first health plan in the United States to offer such a program.

Source: Health Insurance Law Weekly

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