Interwell Health Signs Pledge to Advance Health Equity
We’re committed to learning how we can use data about race, ethnicity, language, and sex to accelerate health equity across the industry.
Interwell Health took its most recent step towards reducing health disparities by signing onto Health Evolution Forum’s Health Equity Pledge. Signatories are committed to learning how data about race, ethnicity, language, and sex can be used to inform insights and solutions that will accelerate health equity across the healthcare industry.
Disparities in kidney disease
Racial disparities in kidney disease are well documented. Black Americans are nearly 4 times more likely and Hispanics are more than twice as likely to have kidney failure than their white counterparts. But the risks don’t end there. These populations also have a higher likelihood of experiencing complications and adverse outcomes.
At Interwell, we strive to increase awareness of this silent disease and are committed to applying our strengths to imagine a better, healthier future for everyone. The decision to join this pledge builds on a new Corporate Social Responsibility platform that extends our work through advocacy and volunteerism. It also complements our care model, which aims to slow the progression of kidney disease and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations through an approach that includes patient-centered, multidisciplinary care teams, transportation assistance, and educational resources.
We believe that a rigorous approach to data collection to improve health outcomes for all is an important pillar of a successful health equity strategy. –Carmen Peralta, MD, MAS, FASN, chief clinical officer of Interwell
In addition to signing the Pledge, four members of the Interwell leadership team will join Health Evolution’s Fellowship Program. Fellows meet regularly to tackle the most urgent problems facing healthcare.
Harnessing data to improve health equity
The Health Equity Pledge was developed in 2021 as a bold industry initiative to strengthen the collection and analysis of data on race, ethnicity, language, and sex as a foundation to better identify and address disparities.
“A concerted commitment to the collection and stratification of data is critical to understanding and, most important, redressing disparities,” said Richard Schwartz, chief executive officer of Health Evolution. “We are pleased that Interwell Health has joined in this important endeavor.”
Cross-industry collaboration
While the principal focus of the Pledge is on data collection and stratification, one byproduct is cross-industry collaboration and the ability to exchange learnings with other participating organizations. Interwell joins over 50 health plans, care providers, organizations, and individuals in this commitment.