PALOMAR MEDICAL CENTER POWAY

1. Top 10 Disparities

2. Equity Plan

On 08/21/2025, a team presented to the Equity Committee the top 10 disparities for Palomar Poway, Palomar Escondido, and Palomar Health as a system. The top 10 disparities for Palomar Medical Center Poway were: Readmissions by Age (35 to 49, 50 to 64, 65+ vs 18 to 34), Payer (Medicare vs Private, Medicaid vs Private), Race/Ethnicity (Black, Hispanic/Latino, White vs Asian), and unique disparities: Pneumonia Mortality (Female vs Male), Readmissions without BH Dx (Male vs Female) and Unplanned 30-Day Hospital Readmission Rate, stratified by behavioral health diagnosis (No Behavioral Health Diagnosis) Sex Assigned at Birth Male.

Readmission Disparity:
Key actions:
Our actions will include education to our providers and nursing staff, which will include working with our Case Management team to develop transitional care bundle(s). These care bundles will include but will not be limited to follow—up instructions by the provider and nurse at discharge, discharge medications provided to the patient before discharge, accurate medication reconciliation to ensure no medication duplications, patient and or family education to include teach back. Palomar Medical Center will initiate home phone calls to this group of patients within 72 hours to ensure patient understanding of aftercare instructions. The RNs will provide education to the SNFs on continuity of care to ensure that the next level of care is able to facilitate care to avoid a readmission. Paloma Medical Center has SDOH screening and referrals, language—interpreters, and make every effort to provide concordant instructions, with culturally informed patient engagement.
Behavioral Health, readmissions male, the psych liaison will ensure that the patient is adequately stabilized during admission, and ensure that there is a strong discharge plan, which will include follow-up appointments and connections to community resources.
Reduce readmissions in disparity groups by greater than or equal to 20% in 12 months, and narrow the rate ratio gap by greater than or equal to 25% over 24 months

Palomar Medical Center has an Antibiotic Stewardship Committee that reviews all antibiotics to ensure they are the right choice and duration based on severity and risk factors of the patient. Palomar will engage with the Antibiotic Stewardship Committee and the providers to review their evidence based order set to ensure that it follows either CDC recommendations or Diseases Society of American. By using our SDOH data, we can also determine if any of the mortalities were linked to socioeconomic factors, like income, insurance or homelessness.
Palomar Medical Center Poway will also review and as needed revise their nursing plan of care for patients admitted with pneumonia and develop short and long term goals such as;
Patient will have appropriate blood cultures drawn before the administration of an antibiotic and in ICU continue to implement the ventilator associated pneumonia bundles to include, head of bed elevated, daily sedation vacation, and subglottic suctioning.
Goal and Time frame:
Reduce pneumonia mortality rates in disparity group /female by greater than or equal to 20% in 12 months and narrow the gap by greater than or equal to 25% over 24 months

3. Structural Measures

5. Download Equity Measures Report

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

6. Looking for Related Reports?

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