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Delmarva Foundation Initiative to Focus on Culture in Healthcare
Project aimed at narrowing gaps by training physicians in cultural differences

Easton, MD, November 7, 2005 - Delmarva Foundation, Medicare’s Quality Improvement Organization for Maryland and the District of Columbia, has announced a new project aimed at improving the quality of medical care given to residents of Maryland and the District of Columbia.  The Culture in Healthcare Initiative will provide free training and resources to physician offices that care for an increasingly diverse population, with an overall goal of helping doctors reduce the disparities in health care that exist between different groups of patients. These populations include patients with unique cultural and linguistic needs, such as racial and ethnic minorities, the disabled, immigrants, migrant workers, and those with limited English proficiency or low literacy. The Culture in Healthcare Initiative will help doctors enhance their cultural understanding in order to improve patient compliance and outcomes.

As a part of its work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Delmarva will recruit approximately 50 physician practice sites across Maryland and 30 in the District of Columbia to participate in the Culture in Healthcare training program.

The online training program is designed to increase physicians' understanding of how unique cultural and linguistic needs affect health care quality.  The training will be offered at no charge to participants and will offer providers the opportunity to earn up to 9 free continuing medical education credits.  The training tool, developed by the Federal Office of Minority Health, is accessed via the Internet; it can be completed at any time, and anywhere. It consists of a series of clinical vignettes that reflect common issues in many physician offices.

"As the population becomes more diverse, physicians are increasingly seeing patients from cultural and linguistic backgrounds different than their own," said Maulik Joshi, President and CEO of the Delmarva Foundation.  "It's important that providers and their staff are sensitive to the needs and preferences of culturally and linguistically diverse patients."

Patients bring their cultural backgrounds, beliefs, practices and languages each time they see their health care provider, which can influence their compliance with the physician’s recommendations.  Effective patient-physician communication is increasingly recognized as essential to improving patient compliance and to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities.

"Despite major advances in medical technology, communication remains the cornerstone of good medicine," said Michael Tooke, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Delmarva Foundation.  "Cultural competency will be valuable in helping doctors ensure that all patients get the right care every time.“

“Doctors, hospitals and insurers must move beyond talking about disparities and take action to close these gaps,” said Joshi.  Both the American Medical Association and the Institute of Medicine have encouraged physicians to build their cultural proficiency.

For more information about the Culture in Healthcare Program, please visit http://www.delmarvafoundation.org/providers/physicians/cultureInHealthcare/index.html

About Delmarva Foundation
Delmarva Foundation is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality in over 20 states. Since 1973, Delmarva has assisted in improving care in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, medical practices and health plans. Delmarva performs quality improvement, quality assurance, utilization review, external quality review and Program Safeguard activities. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Easton, Maryland with other offices in Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC; Columbia, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Tallahassee, Florida. For more information, please visit Delmarva Foundation on the web at www.delmarvafoundation.org.