Why are the goals of Finding Answers important?
The IOM report released in March 2002, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, confirmed the existence of racial and ethnic disparities in health care that result in increased health complications, increased mortality and decreased quality of life for members of racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States. While the existence of racial and ethnic health care disparities has been firmly established, the field has not found a practical blend of strategies and interventions that effectively work to reduce these disparities. Without better knowledge of practical steps to reduce disparities in health care, health care organizations are often unable to address the gaps. Furthermore, recent research indicates that the majority of past efforts to diminish these gaps have either failed or led to limited improvements (Jha AK, Fisher ES, Li Z, Orav EJ, and Epstein AM. Racial Trends in the Use of Major Procedures among the Elderly. N Engl J Med.
