NCQA launches Health Equity Accreditation program

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced the launch last week of a Health Equity Accreditation program. It establishes a framework for identifying and closing individual care gaps with a goal of collectively improving health equity nationwide. The program, which grew out of NCQA’s Multicultural Health Distinction program, aims to hold organizations accountable for evaluating and elevating the health of all the populations they serve. “As the nation’s leading health care performance measurement and quality organization, we know that high-quality care is equitable care,” said NCQA President Margaret O’Kane. In its announcement, NCQA said racial disparities cost the U.S. an estimated $93 billion in excess medical costs each year. (NCQA news release, 11/17/21)