FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Diane Quattrone
Independence Blue Cross
215-815-7828 (cell)
Diana.Quattrone@ibx.com
Wendy Kaiser
Marketing and Public Relations
cell: 267-373-7901
wkaiser@gvh.org
SELLERSVILLE, PA, October 21, 2024 – As a member of the Regional Coalition to Eliminate Race-Based Medicine(Regional Coalition), Grand View Health has announced that it has transitioned away from race adjustments in clinical decision support tools that help guide lung, kidney and OB-GYN care.
“Outdated beliefs about biological differences between races have for many years been embedded in decision support tools used in the practice of medicine. The Regional Coalition is working aggressively to change these tools to make them race neutral. We are extremely appreciative of the health systems that have committed to eliminating these inappropriate race-based adjustments,” says Dr. Seun Ross, executive director of Health Equity at IBX and coordinator of the Regional Coalition.
“We are grateful for the leadership of Independence Blue Cross [IBX] and value the partnership of our neighboring health systems in supporting the important work of the Regional Coalition,” adds Grand View Health Chief Medical Officer Michael Prasto, MD. “Providing high-quality care that assures the best possible health outcomes to all patients is at the core of Grand View Health’s mission, and we are committed to de-implementing the use of race ‘adjustments’ across the entire continuum of care.”
IBX convened the Regional Coalition in 2023. “The work that each health system has done is already leading to improved outcomes in our region and over time will save and extend lives,” Dr. Ross says.
For example, the hospitals and health systems in the region adopted a change in the estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate or eGFR (the kidney function test) calculation that has helped over 721 patients move onto and up on the kidney transplant list. As a result, 63 of those patients received a kidney transplant during 2023.
The group has also advocated to remove race from the Kidney Donor Risk Index, a formula used by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to assess donor kidney quality. These are the first milestones for the Regional Coalition, and it helps ensure that residents in the Philadelphia area are being assessed with the most appropriate and evidence-based clinical decision tools.
In addition to the kidney function test, the tools the Regional Coalition addressed and are now race-neutral, include spirometry (a lung function test), the vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) calculator, and race-based gestational anemia guidelines. Removing the race adjustments in these tools will have profound impacts on patients in the Philadelphia region, including:
- Black and Asian patients with lung disease will be diagnosed earlier and receive the right treatments sooner.
- Black patients with chronic kidney disease will be identified sooner and more often, so they can get the treatment they need, including kidney transplants.
- More kidneys will be available for transplantation due to the removal of race from the Kidney Donor Risk Index, which plays a key role in determining which kidneys can be used for transplants.
- Black and Hispanic pregnant people will have the same opportunity to have a vaginal birth after a previous C-section as others who are pregnant.
- Pregnant Black people will be more likely to be accurately diagnosed with anemia and get the treatment they need. This will mean they have a lower risk of complications in childbirth or the postpartum period.
- Multi-racial people and people who identify outside of a race category that was previously included in one of these tools will no longer be excluded or receive unclear guidance.
The Regional Coalition is focused on challenging race adjustments in 15 clinical decision support tools that may adversely impact patients’ outcomes. In addition to the tools that are now race-neutral, the Regional Coalition is working to address the use of race in the following:
- Arteriosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) Risk Estimator
- Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium Risk Calculator
- Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX)
- Heart Failure Risk Score
- NCI Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool
- Osteoporosis Risk SCORE (Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation)
- Pediatric UTI Risk Calculator
- Rectal Cancer Survival Calculator
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons Short Term Risk Calculator
- Ureteral STONE Risk Score
In addition to Grand View Health, the Regional Coalition includes Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Doylestown Health, Independence Blue Cross, Jefferson Health, Main Line Health, Nemours Children’s Health, Penn Medicine, Redeemer Health, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Temple Health, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, and Virtua Health.
It extends the work of Accelerate Health Equity, a collaborative to address and combat systemic racism in health care.
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About Grand View Health
Grand View Health is a community health system in Sellersville, PA, located an hour north of Philadelphia. It has served generations of Bucks and Montgomery County residents since 1913. Grand View offers inpatient and outpatient services in the areas of cancer, cardiology, vascular surgery, critical care, radiation oncology, labor and delivery, orthopaedics, post-acute care, robotic surgery, hospice care and women’s and children’s health. In 2021, the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation accredited Grand View as a Level II Trauma Center, making it the highest-level trauma center in northern Bucks County. As part of a Strategic Alliance with Penn Medicine, Grand View is a member of the Penn Cancer Network, an affiliate of Penn Medicine Orthopaedic Surgery, and an affiliate of the Penn Trauma Network.
Grand View Hospital is also part of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) care network. This partnership provides families with access to CHOP pediatricians in our emergency department, pediatrics unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU.)
Grand View Health operates six outpatient centers and two Urgent Care Centers throughout Bucks and Montgomery counties.
For more information about Grand View Health, visit gvh.org.
About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurance organization in southeastern Pennsylvania. For more than 85 years, we have been enhancing the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve. We deliver innovative and competitively priced health care products and services; pioneer new ways to reward doctors, hospitals, and other health care professionals for coordinated, quality care; and support programs and events that promote wellness. To learn more, visit ibx.com. Connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and Instagram. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.