KECK HOSPITAL OF USC

1. Top 10 Disparities

2. Equity Plan

Keck Hospital of USC (KHUSC) is a 343-bed, nationally recognized academic medical center in Los Angeles, providing high-quality, person-centered care as the teaching hospital of the University of Southern California. Serving some of the most acutely ill patients, KHUSC combines advanced technology, research-driven treatments, and multidisciplinary expertise to deliver individualized care across specialties. With hundreds of clinical trials underway, patients gain access to innovative therapies often unavailable elsewhere. KHUSC’s commitment to excellence is reflected in exceptional outcomes, enhanced patient safety, and consistently high patient satisfaction, supported by Magnet-recognized nursing and national accolades for quality and clinical innovation. KHUSC is equally dedicated to transparency, with regularly updated, publicly available quality and safety standards that empower patients and families to make informed decisions about their care.

Action Plan: KHUSC’s analysis of the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) Hospital Equity Report for calendar year (CY) 2024 highlights its commitment to equitable patient care, as the Top 10 Disparities report did not uncover substantial variations between patient populations. KHUSC will continue to use data-driven insights to identify areas where the hospital can enhance patient care, improve outcomes, and reduce variances.
Variances in readmissions and patient experience are tracked to understand opportunities to ensure the highest quality of care and patient experience for all patients. Insights from these data guide targeted interventions, continuous quality improvement, and accountability across the hospital.

To address discharge improvement, communication, and education opportunities, KHUSC is enhancing its multifaceted, hospital-wide approach to patient care and experience. These processes are designed to support patients, strengthen care coordination, and ensure that all interventions are aligned with organizational priorities: high quality person-centered care, patient safety, effective treatment, access to care, and attention to social drivers of health.

Key processes include: Screening for Social Drivers of Health (SDOH), Standardized Discharge Education, Post-Discharge Follow-Up As Needed, Multidisciplinary Care Coordination, Patient Feedback Integration, Age Friendly Framework Adoption, Variance Monitoring

Collectively, these efforts are designed to reduce variances, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance the overall patient experience. By leveraging data-driven insights, patient feedback, and ongoing evaluation, KHUSC measures progress, identifies emerging opportunities, and continuously refines interventions. The result is a healthcare environment where every patient receives high-quality, safe, and personalized care, every time, and where the organization can be confident that improvement initiatives are creating meaningful, measurable impact across all populations served.

Measuring Success: To ensure that improvement efforts achieve their intended outcomes without creating unintended consequences, KHUSC monitors a comprehensive set of success measures stratified by different patient demographics and characteristics. This enables us to identify and address key opportunities to reduce barriers to care, improve quality and safety practices, and strengthen care coordination - especially for patients with complex needs or social challenges that impact health outcomes. Hospital leadership and quality committees review stratified data regularly, and patient and family insights are incorporated to guide refinements. This structured oversight ensures that interventions are effective, sustainable, and aligned with the hospital’s goals of reducing disparities, improving outcomes, and delivering exceptional care experiences. Progress on implementing and tracking improvement plans is evaluated at 30-, 60-, and 90-day intervals, and will be measured throughout calendar year 2026.

Key measures include: Average Length of Stay (LOS), Discharge Efficiency, Readmission Rates, Patient Experience Measures, SDOH Screening Rates, Targeted Service Line and Population Performance, Adverse Events and Safety Incidents

By monitoring these measures alongside other outcome and process interventions, KHUSC is able to continuously refine care delivery, anticipate patient needs, and address barriers proactively. This approach ensures that improvement initiatives not only reduce variances and readmissions but also enhance the overall patient experience, promote safety, and strengthen care coordination, reflecting the hospital’s commitment to high quality, person-centered care.

3. Structural Measures

4. Web Address for Equity Report

https://www.keckmedicine.org/health-equity

5. Download Equity Measures Report

Click on the link below to download the equity measures report.

6. Looking for Related Reports?

• Community Benefit Plan
• Hospital Supplier Diversity Plan
• Hospital Fair Billing Policies
• Hospital Profile