Inside Health Care #123: Health Equity & Making the Commitment to Change

Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQA

This episode of “Inside Health Care: a Podcast by NCQA” features three interviews recorded live at our Health Innovation Summit in October 2023. Among many panels and presentations was an incredible session titled “Health Equity Trailblazers: Where Vision Meets Commitment.” Health equity leaders discussed their organizations’ health equity strategies, vision and lessons learned, delving into how leaders can commit to and advance health equity priorities. Each of this episode’s guests sat on that panel then sat with me for a deeper dive. These leaders, each in their own way, want to inspire us to action.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun is Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer for CVS Health. In this role, she advances the company’s data-driven strategy to improve access to services, address social determinants of health and decrease health disparities. She is a sought-after speaker and thought leader who has appeared on Meet the Press, MSNBC and CNN, among others, and she has testified before Congress.

In her past work, as the top doctor leading Michigan’s COVID response, she is credited with the state’s early identification of and actions to decrease disparities, and in 2021 was appointed by President Biden to the national COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. She is a practicing emergency physician who earned her MD from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Ronald M. Wyatt is a renowned global health care quality and safety expert with a passion for advancing health equity worldwide. Dr. Wyatt is Founder and CEO of Achieving Health Equity, LLC. As a distinguished Senior Fellow with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, he holds pivotal roles as Chief Science Officer and Chief Medical Officer at the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, an organization dedicated to enhancing diagnostic accuracy in health care. As an expert in hospital safety oversight, Dr. Wyatt holds a significant role in shaping the National Patient Safety Goal on Health Equity. His contributions to the National Patient Safety Plan, authored by AHRQ and IHI, underscore his commitment to advancing health care on a global scale.

Dr. Bryan O. Buckley moderated the Health Care Trailblazers panel at NCQA’s 2nd annual Health Innovation Summit. Dr. Buckley is NCQA’s Director for Health Equity Initiatives. In this position, he plays a key role in developing partnerships with funding and research organizations, care delivery systems, the managed care industry and communities to translate research knowledge and real-world evidence into development of equity-oriented products and programs. These include NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation programs.