We ask because we care: Eliminating disparities in healthcare

Why do LMH Health team members ask patients questions that may seem unrelated to their health? Because it helps us better care for patients while they’re in our care and can improve their health even after they leave the hospital. 

As a partner for lifelong health, LMH Health is committed to health equity. That means it’s important for us to ask our patients more about themselves and their social needs. We ask because we care.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimates that social needs account for about 80% of health outcomes. This includes factors such as education, employment, family and social supports, housing and transit.

“Data is the backbone of health equity,” said clinical analyst Tori Gleason. “Having accurate data about our patients allows us to understand more about them and the communities we serve.” “

If you are a patient at LMH Health, our teams will ask questions about your race, ethnicity and preferred language. This information allows us to treat each patient with respect and provide culturally responsive care. The American Hospital Association defines this as the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors. This includes tailoring healthcare to meet a patient’s social, cultural and linguistic needs.

“It’s important for us to better understand what barriers exist in order to move the needle and improve outcomes,” Gleason said. “Assessing barriers helps us understand how those may impact your health and provides data for LMH Health and our community partners to work toward finding solutions. It’s not work we can do in a silo.”

What are the consequences of not providing culturally responsive care? Patients are at greater risk of having worse outcomes, receiving lower quality care and of being dissatisfied with their care.

Do I have to provide this information?

Any information you do share is confidential. It will be entered into your patient record and is legally protected by federal HIPAA regulations. If you do not want to answer questions about race, ethnicity, disability status and preferred language, you don’t have to. Sharing it is entirely your choice and it will not change the level of care the team at LMH Health provides.

How do you use this information?

Our data analytics team will analyze de-identified patient data, meaning that it cannot be traced back to you, to measure equity in access to services, use of healthcare services, patient experience, and quality and safety outcomes.

“This data will help us move the needle on health equity,” Gleason explained. “We’ll be able to better identify and measure gaps in healthcare, identify those that affect the patients we serve and monitor our progress over time.”

Will you ask anything else?

We want to ensure that our patients are safe at home. When you visit any LMH Health provider, you’ll be asked a series of questions including:

• Do you feel safe at home?
• Have you had any falls?
• Have you had thoughts of hurting yourself or others?

“These questions help our physicians and providers identify patients who are at risk of self-harm or abuse,” Gleason said. “It allows them to connect with them and provide help.”

If you’re a patient who is 18 and older and are admitted to the hospital’s patient floors or are seen by our Population Health team or at Lawrence OB-GYN Specialists, you’ll also be asked questions based on the social determinants of health (SDOH). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented new regulations in 2024 that require screening patients to identify needs based on these non-medical conditions that significantly affect their health and quality of life.

“To see is to know. When patients provide data about things like their education, employment and family dynamics, as well as access to transportation and housing, it allows us to get a greater picture about their health,” Gleason said.

Our teams ask a series of questions to assess food insecurity, housing instability, transportation needs, utility difficulties and personal safety. These include:

• Do you have safe housing today or are you concerned about losing your housing?
• Has lack of transportation kept you from medical appointments, meetings, work or from getting things needed for daily living?
• Do you feel physically and emotionally safe where you live?

If answers to any of the questions identify a need, it results in an automatic request for a consultation with a social worker. Sandra Dixon, director of behavioral health integration at LMH Health, explained that while a social worker is assigned, the patient has the right to refuse help.

“If I’m admitted and have food insecurity, the social worker will come meet with me to get more information and ask if they can help,” she said. “It’s a collaborative process and the patient always has the right to say no.”

Dixon knows that the SDOH affect the quality of life and health of patients. You can be treated for diabetes but without reliable access to transportation, it impacts your ability to get to medical appointments, pick up medication and get healthy food.

“Our long-term goals are to better understand the challenges our patients face as they navigate their healthcare needs, to work internally and with community partners to address social drivers that impact care, and ultimately, to serve patients better,” she said.