In a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Management and Budget Office Director Shalanda Young, AHIP explained its vision for how demographic data can be improved and standardized across the healthcare system.
Five things to know about the association's recommendations for improving demographic data:
- Current challenges with demographic data include the lack of specificity for questions on race. AHIP highlights that current census and HHS standards do not include an option for people to identify as Arab, Middle Eastern or North African. Additionally, AHIP recommends options should be tailored to the local area, depending on the populations that live there.
- Current demographic questions do not have an "I choose not to respond" option. AHIP advises that a lack of information about how demographic information is used can lead to a lack of trust from patients.
- Current regulations that require multiple providers and payers to collect demographic information lead to inconsistent results and greater burden on patients, AHIP says.
- To reduce burdens on providers and patients, AHIP wants demographic data to be electronic and able to be shared with other places in the healthcare system with patient consent.
- AHIP wants a wide range of government agencies to adopt its recommendations for demographic data collection, which include questions on race, ethnicity, language preference, sexual orientation, gender, diability status, veteran status and spirtual beliefs.
Read the full letter here.