HUBweek Change Maker: Joseph Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H.
Joseph Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H., Founder and Director of the Disparities Solutions Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Betancourt is the founder and director of the Disparities Solutions Center (DSC), Senior Scientist at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in health care disparities and cross-cultural medicine. Dr. Betancourt is also a 2015 Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about healthcare disparities? If two patients present to the health care system anywhere in the country with chest pain for example — and the only difference between them is their race, culture, or language — the minority patient is likely to receive lower quality care than their white counterpart. There are multiple reasons for this, and we are trying to address them, but the truth is we can never achieve high-quality care for all as long as these disparities exist. The problem is persistent and needs urgent attention, especially as we expand health care coverage and engage in health care transformation.
What is happening uniquely in Boston in this area? The Disparities Solutions Center (DSC) at Mass General Hospital is a first-of-its-kind national center dedicated to developing health care policies and practices to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in care. The DSC was founded in 2005, in response to the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report which revealed these striking disparities. Over the last ten years the DSC has trained a national network of over 300 clinicians, caregivers and policy makers to lead this efforts by ending racial and ethnic health care disparities in their own communities. During HUBweek, the DSC will host its biannual national forum where we will bring these and other leaders together to discuss where we are, where we’re going, and how we will get there.
Are there any myths current out there about healthcare disparities that you want to dispel? In health care, we’ve focused a great amount of energy on efficiency, effectiveness, safety, timeliness, and patient-centeredness. But equity has received less attention, been ignored, or even politicized. Yet equity is a defining test of whether we’re meeting our responsibility to deliver quality care to everyone who needs it. Unfortunately, here in America on of the strongest predictor of someone’s health status is the color of that person’s skin. This isn’t about good or bad health care givers — this is about building the best systems, and training them to meet the needs of diverse populations — which I know they are committed to.
How would you explain what’s happening to someone who isn’t aware, and why they should care? Despite our efforts of the past ten years, racial and ethnic disparities persist in everything from diagnosis and treatment of disease to the use of pain medication.
Minority patients tend to receive less pain medication for the exact same fracture. Black women with breast cancer are diagnosed at later stages of the disease and have a higher mortality rate. Just this month, a study found that people of color and low income individuals have a harder time getting a mental health appointment. And people of color are two to four times more likely than white patients to develop end-stage renal disease.
Deepening racial and ethnic divisions in the United States have created an urgent need for the health care community to re-focus its attention on ending racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care. Ultimately, eliminating disparities isn’t just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. Disparities are the epitome of low-value health care — care that is variable, costs more, and leads to poorer health outcomes.
Our Thursday evening program with the family members of Henrietta Lacks will bring the human voice and experience to this important issue — reminding us that lives hang in the balance. This discussion will undoubtedly call attention to the persistent need for action on the part of the health care community, and a commitment to eliminate disparities while delivering high quality care to all.
Interested in learning more about the work being done by Joseph and others at The Disparities Solutions Center? Visit their website and be sure to attend A Conversation with the Family of Henrietta Lacks at HUBweek 2016 for even more information about the state of healthcare disparities. Joseph was recently quoted as a Change Maker in HUBweek’s 2016 Preview featured in The Boston Globe.
The HUBweek Change Maker series showcases the most creative and innovative minds in art, science, and technology making an impact in Boston and around the world.
