Ensuring equitable care in your practice.(GUEST EDITORIAL)

Eliminating health disparities in this country requires a multi-pronged approach that includes action by government, communities, medical institutions, and each of us as physicians.

While death rates have declined across the board in the United States, the gap in death rates between blacks and whites was just as large in 1995 as it was in 1950, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Racial and ethnic minorities generally have higher rates of hypertension and infant mortality, and are less likely to receive early prenatal care. Patients who lack health insurance are more likely to go without cancer screenings, less likely to receive recommended care for chronic diseases, and less likely to have regular access to medications for conditions like hypertension and HIV.

This isn't a surprise to most of us, but we must not be complacent. It's our responsibility to do whatever we can to improve the care of patients who too often fall through the cracks.

We need to be more aware of the different histories and risk factors of our patients and consider them when making care decisions. There simply aren't enough minority physicians to care for every minority patient in this country, so each physician in practice today needs to work on his or her cultural competency skills.

We also need to recognize and understand our own biases. We all have them and that's a fact of life. But it's unacceptable to refuse to acknowledge them and let them influence the care we provide.

Our practices also need to be equitable and fair. We must give balanced time and attention to patients, and provide the same quality of care to the patients on medical assistance as those with private coverage.