A New Lens to Eliminate Health Care Disparities

Nationwide, disparities in health care are complex and deep-rooted, and they have a profound effect on the access and quality of care. At Duke Health, we are committed to eradicating these disparities, and we’re starting right here at home.

Duke Health’s Collaborative to Advance Clinical Health Equity (CACHE) is a community-driven initiative that leverages the power of data science to identify and eliminate health care disparities. We look in the mirror of our own clinical outcomes and analyze these data through the lens of race and ethnicity to address the root causes of disparities.

CACHE, founded by Richard Shannon, MD, and now directed by Michael Pignone, MD, uses data from the entire Duke Health system to pinpoint and address disparities in areas such as cancer screening, hypertension, diabetes, maternal morbidity, and gun violence. The program identifies clinical outcomes that significantly impact patient health and well-being; evaluates those outcomes for the presence of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities; and works with patients to understand the underlying factors that drive them. We use these insights to develop interventions that address the root causes of disparities both inside and beyond the health care system.

The CACHE initiative is just one part of Duke Health’s determined efforts to distill insights from its providers, patients, and communities and improve health outcomes.