Health disparities are a constant issue in today’s healthcare landscape. Across the nation, certain communities regularly experience significantly worse health outcomes. This gap is particularly stark when it comes to accessing critical, post-acute services, like inpatient rehabilitation.
Discover which health disparities could be impacting your local community and strategic actions your hospital can take to overcome them.
Understanding Today's Health Disparities
The concept of a health disparity is defined as "a particular type of health difference that is linked with social, economic and/or environmental disadvantage."* These differences systematically put greater obstacles in the path of specific population groups.
So, where do we stand as a nation with access to critical, post-acute services? Here are some key insights that could be prevalent in your hospital’s community: *
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- 5 million patients report going without care because they are unable to access transportation to their provider.
- 1 in 5 Black adults and 1 in 5 Hispanic adults report being treated unfairly due to their race or ethnicity while seeking care for themselves or a family member.
- 1 in 10 of adult women who visited a healthcare provider in the past three years reported experiencing discrimination because of a personal characteristic like age, gender, race, sexual orientation or religion.
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With the population continuing to grow and diversify, these numbers are expected to rise. It's critical for hospitals to act now to ensure every person can access the rehabilitative care they need close to home.
Partnering for Better Health Equity
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) identifies increasing access to healthcare services, specifically through building healthcare facilities in underserved communities, as a key component of improving health equity.*
Why is local access so vital? Communities with easy access to an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) or acute rehabilitation unit (ARU) are more likely to have patients successfully discharged home without the risk of a 30-day readmission.*
However, building and operating an effective rehabilitation program can be complex.
One strategy hospitals are using to expand their service offerings, whether through new hospital construction or program integration within their existing facility, is leveraging the expertise of a trusted rehabilitation partner.
Joint ventures (JVs) and contract management agreements allow hospitals to efficiently elevate their care quality, improve financial health and make significant strides in addressing local healthcare disparities, all without expending additional capital or resources.
Ready to expand your services and meet patient demand? Contact us today to learn how partnership with Lifepoint can strengthen your hospital’s offerings and help improve patient outcomes.
References:
- Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers.” KFF, 2024.
- Barriers to health equity in the United States of America: can they be overcome?” Springer Nature Link, 2025.
- Partners in Promoting Health Equity in Communities.” NIH: National Library of Medicine, 2017.
- Successful Community Discharge Following Postacute Rehabilitation for Medicare Beneficiaries: Analysis of a Patient‐Centered Quality Measure.” NIH: National Library of Medicine, 2017.
