Four-step approach helps health care organizations identify and measure health disparities
BOSTON, October 14, 2025 – The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) today released a practical, evidence-based framework that aims to establish a US industry standard for measuring health equity efforts. Outlined in a new white paper, “Advancing Health Equity: An Approach to Systematically Identify and Evaluate Health Disparities,” and developed in collaboration with leaders from diverse organizations from across the sector, the framework details an actionable four-step approach that health care organizations can take to identify health disparities.
“At IHI we often say, ‘measure what matters,’ and this framework provides a first-of-its-kind process for health care organizations to identify inequities in patient populations and measure efforts to reduce them,” said Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, President and CEO of IHI. “We encourage health care organizations to adopt this measurement approach to help drive transformational change in understanding and eliminating health disparities.”
In 2024, the IHI Leadership Alliance formed a Health Equity Accelerator — a collaboration of 19 health care organizations working to advance improvements in the field by defining best practices for identifying and measuring health disparities. With increasing health equity reporting requirements and mandates, the Accelerator recognized the urgent need for a standardized, evidence-based approach to identifying, quantifying, tracking, and reporting equity data across the health care ecosystem.
The framework outlined in the new white paper creates a consistent method for examining quality data to uncover disparities, which will catalyze meaningful action to close health equity gaps. This standardized approach establishes the foundation for a more equitable health care industry, ensuring that all patients receive the highest standard of care.
“Health care teams want to deliver the best possible care to every patient,” said Scott Cook, PhD, Co-Director, Advancing Health Equity: Leading Care Payment and Systems Transformation program, University of Chicago, and one of the authors and advisors to the Health Equity Accelerator. “This new resource will help health care organizations ensure that their staff have the data that empowers them to turn inequities into action, transforming insights into better care, reduced suffering, and saved lives. That’s how we make health care better for all of us.”
The white paper includes a detailed, four-step approach to identify a health equity focus area and analyze available quantitative data to reveal existing disparities in patient populations:
- Identify and Prioritize a Health Equity Initiative Focus Area, Population of Focus, and Metrics
- Determine Stratification Attributes and Compute Metrics for all Attribute Values
- Choose Reference Points
- Quantify and Characterize Health Disparities
“Standardizing the measurement of disparities is imperative for driving accountability to health equity by identifying gaps in care,” said Nikki Tennermann, IHI Senior Project Director, and an author of the white paper. “This clear and accessible guidance will help health care organizations move from fragmented data to measurable outcomes.”
The framework is designed for use by health care leaders, quality and equity teams, and data analysts in any health care setting. It paves the way for national benchmarking and comparative analysis among health care institutions. The white paper also includes practical applications of the measurement framework, with examples of the four-step approach in a variety of care settings.
About the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a leading, globally recognized not-for-profit health care improvement organization that has been applying evidence-based quality improvement methods to meet current and future health care challenges for more than 30 years. IHI provides millions of people in health care with methods, tools, and resources to make care better, safer, and more equitable; convenes experts to enable knowledge sharing and peer-learning; and advises health systems and hospitals of all sizes in improving their systems and outcomes at scale. IHI’s mission is to innovate and lead transformational improvement in health and health care worldwide.
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