Four-step approach helps healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare industry, ensuring that all patients receive the highest standard of care.
“Healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare organizations move from fragmented data to measurable outcomes.”
The framework is designed for use by healthcare leaders, quality and equity teams, and data analysts in any healthcare setting. It paves the way for national benchmarking and comparative analysis among healthcare 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 healthcare improvement organization that has been applying evidence-based quality improvement methods to meet current and future healthcare challenges for more than 30 years. IHI provides millions of people in healthcare 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 healthcare worldwide.
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