The Disparities Action Plan also:

• Recommends that EHRs have the ability to stratify patients' specific conditions by variables such as race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status and disability status. This would allow providers to identify important patterns – for example, whether Hispanic or African-American patients experience a higher rate of a health condition than non-Hispanic White patients, according to CPeH.
• Calls for greater use of patient data collected and shared through devices such as smartphones. Enabling EHRs to collect data from mobile health applications provides an important point of access to underserved communities, officials say.
• Emphasizes the need to ensure that electronic health information is effectively communicated to patients, so they are better able to utilize its benefits. This includes better understanding their plans for care, improving communication with providers, and providing feedback on their care experiences.  Health IT should be accessible in the languages patients speak and be presented in plain language for patients with low literacy and in ways that accommodate patients with disabilities. 

"According to the Institute of Medicine, collecting sexual orientation and gender identity data in EHRs is crucial to understanding and addressing the health disparities that affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population," said Kellan Baker, associate director, Center for American Progress, in a statement. "The Disparities Action Plan is a key step in turning that recommendation into action to finally end the culture of 'don't ask; don't tell' for LGBT people in our healthcare system."


CPeH also advocates for using health IT to better coordinate care and develop care plans, arguing that, as healthcare has advanced and the number of individuals living with chronic conditions has increased, the need for better care coordination and planning has grown.

Health IT can enable multiple providers to connect, facilitating better communication with patients, families, and other care team members, according to the plan; technology should also be used to improve information sharing and automate connections between patients, providers and community-based organizations, enabling improved care coordination and health outcomes.

"The National Health Law Program views the Disparities Action Plan as a health IT guide to improving the health quality of low-income populations, communities of color, women, individuals with limited English proficiency, and other underserved communities," said Deborah A. Reid, senior attorney at NHeLP, adding that the plan "serves as the link that connects the mission of the HITECH Act and the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program with existing laws, HHS strategies, and advocacy efforts that support health equity."

Read the Disparities Action Plan here (PDF).

[See also: Scorecard reveals wide disparities in care across the country]