Resources for Collecting REaL (Race, Ethnicity, and Language) Data

Resources and Toolkits

CMS inventory of resources for standardized demographic and language data collection
- Author: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS)
- Description: Compilation of reports, articles, guides, toolkits, training tools and webinars on race, ethnicity, and language (REaL) and disability data collection
Agency for healthcare research and quality - race and ethnicity data improvement toolkit
- Author: Agency for healthcare research and quality (AHRQ)
- Description: Race and ethnicity data improvement toolkit provides practical tools and guidance to organizations interested in improving collection of hospital race, ethnicity, and primary language data. Includes approaches through education and training of hospital staff, data linkages and data validation, challenges to organizational and staff buy-in
Addressing healthcare disparities through race, ethnicity, and language (REaL) data
- Author: American Hospital Association (AHA)
- Description: Informational guide on importance of collecting REaL data with appendix of relevant resources for data collection, stratification, and utilization
AHA disparities toolkit
- Author: American Hospital Association (AHA) institute for diversity and health equity (IFDHE)
- Description: Web-based tool that provides information and resources for systematically collecting race, ethnicity, and primary language data
Reducing healthcare disparities: collection and use of race, ethnicity, and language data
- Author: Hospitals in pursuit of excellence (HPOE)
- Description: Four step approach on obtaining accurate and usable REaL data and discussion on how hospitals and care systems can use REaL data to achieve clinical, operational, financial, and population health benefits
Improving quality and achieving equity: a guide for hospital leaders
- Author: The Disparities Solution Center at Massachusetts General Hospital
- Description: Presents evidence for racial disparities and rationales for addressing them, provides guidance on how to develop an action portfolio to improve quality, address disparities and achieve equity, and sample case studies
New York state toolkit to reduce healthcare disparities: improving race and ethnicity data
- Author: New York State Department of Health
- Description: Toolkit includes sample tools, forms, and training materials, resources for implementation, FAQs, patient/consumer materials, resources for hospital leaders, quality improvements resources
Exploring strategies to fill gaps in Medicaid race, ethnicity, and language data
- Author: State health and value strategies supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Description: Shorter online resource that briefly discusses background and current standards for collecting race and ethnicity data, and strategies for improving and revising collection standards

What is REaL Data?

Research Articles and Blogs

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