Giving Compass' Take:

• Healthcare Dive discusses a Families USA report which finds that the healthcare payment system in the US needs an overhaul that addresses inequities in race, immigration status and income, among other factors.

• Meaningful healthcare reform has been elusive due to political challenges, but this piece confronts basic, reasonable steps that we can take to make the system more fair, which a majority of people can agree on.

• Another reasonable proposal: Healthcare should focus on patients, not diseases.

Payers, providers and healthcare organizations have increasingly focused on social determinants of health (SDOH) as a way to improve population health. That requires programs that involve community groups and organizations to supplement services while patients are not within a doctor’s office or hospital.

Families USA urged policymakers to develop programs “with the explicit intent of advancing health equity.” The group added that including voices of communities of color and other disadvantaged groups in the decision-making should be a priority.

New programs should focus on inequalities in numerous areas, including race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, English proficiency, immigration status, income and geographic location, according to the report.

The group suggested three areas to review when creating new payment models to make sure it doesn't adversely impact particular communities, such as low-income people; allow for risk adjustment for clinical and social risk; and address resource inequities, such as making sure safety net, rural and community hospitals receive proper funding.

Read the full article about payment reform and patient equity by Les Masterson at Healthcare Dive.