By Lisa Watts
LTSS Center researchers continue to examine the relationship between person-centered care and health equity.
In two previous studies funded by the SCAN Foundation, researchers at the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston used data from the national Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) to show that many people—particularly people who belong to ethnic or racial minorities and have low incomes—feel their preferences and desires are not considered when they engage with the healthcare system.
The researchers have also shown that people who feel the health system does not hear them are less likely to seek preventive care and engage with the healthcare system. This group is also more likely to have difficulty managing their chronic conditions and to experience higher projected healthcare costs.
In a new, 18-month study, also funded by the SCAN Foundation, researchers will update their previous findings using more recent HRS data. The study is designed to assess if gaps persist in the study sample’s race and ethnicity, wealth and income, and disability status.
Because the new data covers the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers will also investigate the relationship between the use of telehealth and the receipt of person-centered care and how that relationship varies by race and ethnicity.
“We are looking into whether people with access to technology were more or less likely to feel they were heard than people with less access,” says Marc Cohen, co-director of the LTSS Center and lead investigator on the study. “Did the pandemic mean that people received more or less person-centered care? How did this relate to whether they got COVID? Were there differences in masking, diagnosis, testing, and vaccines for those who felt that they were listened to compared to those who felt they weren’t?”
During the new study, which concludes in spring 2024, researchers will:
- Continue exploring racial and ethnic differences among people with complex care needs, including people who need long-term services and supports and those living with high-cost chronic conditions.
- Assess whether managed care arrangements make a difference in receiving person-centered care.
- Develop a person-centered care “report card” for healthcare systems.
“We want a way to measure progress over time regarding person-centered care, so we’ll be determining what the key parameters of a report card should be,” says Cohen.