EL CENTRO REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
1. Top 10 Disparities
The following table lists the ten largest health equity disparities identified for this reporting period.
Disparities for each hospital equity measure are identified by comparing the rate ratios by stratification groups. Rate ratios are calculated differently for measures with preferred low rates and those with preferred high rates. Rate ratios are calculated after applying the California Health and Human Services Agency's "Data De-Identification Guidelines (DDG)," dated September 23, 2016.
The table below highlights the ten widest health equity disparities identified by hospitals and hospital systems during this reporting period. Measure names have been shortened for display purposes. To view each measure in full, please download the complete Hospital Equity Report using the link below.
| Measure | Stratification | Stratification Group | Stratification Group Rate | Reference Group | Reference Rate | Rate Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 65 and older | 14.9% | 35 to 49 | 5.4% | 2.80 |
|
2.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 50 to 64 | 13.8% | 35 to 49 | 5.4% | 2.60 |
|
3.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 18 to 34 | 10.9% | 35 to 49 | 5.4% | 2.00 |
|
4.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Race and/or Ethnicity | Hispanic or Latino | 13.5% | White | 11.7% | 1.20 |
|
5.
HCAI 30-Day readmission NOBH
|
Sex Assigned at Birth | Male | 14.2% | Female | 12.6% | 1.10 |
|
6.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Sex Assigned at Birth | Male | 14.0% | Female | 12.9% | 1.10 |
|
7.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Expected Payor | Medicare | 14.5% | Medicaid | 13.6% | 1.10 |
2. Equity Plan
The our disparity report identifies disparities in 30-day all-cause unplanned readmission rates by age, race/ethnicity, sex assigned at birth, and expected payor. Older adults (≥65), Medicare beneficiaries, males, and Hispanic or Latino patients experience higher readmission rates compared to reference groups.
Planned Actions:
1. Readmission Reduction for Older Adults (65+ and 50–64)
- Implement enhanced discharge planning protocols targeting medication reconciliation and follow-up appointment adherence.
- Integrate home health referral triggers for patients over 50 with chronic conditions.
- Objective: Reduce readmissions among 65+ by 15% within 24 months.
2. Equity in Readmission Rates by Race/Ethnicity
- Partner with bilingual care navigators to improve discharge comprehension among Hispanic/Latino patients.
- Deploy culturally appropriate health education materials.
- Objective: Narrow readmission gap between Hispanic/Latino and White patients (1.2 rate ratio) by 50% within 24 months.
3. Sex-Based Readmission Disparities
- Analyze diagnosis-related causes for male readmissions.
- Expand post-discharge telehealth follow-up for male patients with behavioral health comorbidities.
- Objective: Achieve parity between male and female readmission rates by FY2026.
4. Payor-Based Disparities (Medicare vs. Medicaid)
- Introduce care coordination pilot targeting Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic diagnoses.
- Track readmission drivers and establish 'Red Flag' alerts in EHR for early intervention.
- Objective: Reduce Medicare readmission rate from 14.5% to 12.0% within two years.
Monitoring & Evaluation:
Equity dashboards will be updated quarterly. Data will be stratified by demographic group and reported to the Quality and Compliance Committee.
3. Structural Measures
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Commitment to Health Equity Structural (HCHE) Measure | Yes/No |
|---|---|
Our hospital system strategic plan identifies priority populations who currently experience health disparities |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan identifies healthcare equity goals and discrete action steps to achieve these goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan outlines specific resources that have been dedicated to achieving our equity goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan describes our approach for engaging key stakeholders, such as community-based organizations |
Yes |
Our hospital strategic plan identifies healthcare equity goals and discrete action steps to achieve these goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system has training for staff in culturally sensitive collection of demographics and/or social determinant of health information |
Yes |
Our hospital system inputs demographic and/or social determinant of health information collected from patients into structured, interoperable data elements using a certified EHR technology |
Yes |
Our hospital system stratifies key performance indicators by demographic and/or social determinants of health variables to identify equity gaps and includes this information in hospital performance dashboards |
Yes |
Our hospital system participates in local, regional or national quality improvement activities focused on reducing health disparities |
Yes |
Our hospital system senior leadership, including chief executives and the entire hospital board of trustees, annually reviews our strategic plan for achieving health equity |
Yes |
Our hospital system senior leadership, including chief executives and the entire hospital board of trustees, annually reviews key performance indicators stratified by demographic and/or social factors |
Yes |
5. Download Equity Measures Report
Click on the link below to download the equity measures report.
Click on the link below to download all equity measures reports.