Leading Healthcare Companies, Organizations Commit to Advancing Health Equity

Members of Healthcare Leadership Council, Representing All Health Industry Sectors, Commit to Shared Principles Aimed at Eliminating Health Disparities

WASHINGTON – The companies and organizations that comprise the Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), representing all sectors of the American healthcare industry, have joined in a commitment to advance health equity in the United States including principles and actions to ultimately eliminate health disparities.

The joint commitment follows the release late last year of a report developed by HLC and ZS, a global management and technology consulting firm, identifying multiple structural barriers in both the private and public sectors that contribute to existing health disparities. The report, Addressing Health Equity: Practical Solutions to Address Variations in Care, focuses on actions that need to be taken in areas like data collection and sharing, training, clinical research, and funding for community-based equity initiatives.

“Our members are unequivocal in their conviction that every person in this country should have access to healthcare of the highest quality,” said HLC president Mary R. Grealy. “Leading innovators in all sectors have been working toward this goal and achieving significant progress. What we have done through our research is identify those areas in which gaps still exist and where we can have the greatest impact in addressing inequities that have existed for far too long.”

The commitment by HLC members includes:

• Encouraging best practices and standardization in patient data collection and health outcome measures.
• Supporting community-based organizations that conduct health outreach to underserved populations.
• Facilitating cross-sector communication and information sharing to identify and address health disparities.
• Understanding that this commitment must be sustained for the long term.

Members of the Healthcare Leadership Council include AdventHealth, Advocate Health, Aetna, a CVS Health Company, AmerisourceBergen, Amgen, AMN Healthcare, Ascension, Bassett Healthcare Network, Baxter, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cardinal Health, City of Hope, ConnectiveRx, Cotiviti, Elevance Health, Epic, Fairview Health Services, Genentech, Guardant Health, IQVIA, Johnson & Johnson, Leidos, LifeScience Logistics, Magellan Health, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic, McKesson Corporation, Meharry Medical College, MemorialCare Health System, Merck, Mount Sinai Health System, NorthShore University Health System, Novartis, Oracle Health, Pfizer, Premier, Senior Helpers, Stryker, Surescripts, Teladoc Health, Texas Health Resources, Tivity Health, Vizient, Wellvana Health, and ZS.

For Immediate Release January 30, 2023
Contact: Kelly Fernandez 202-449-3452