HEALTH EQUITY REPORT

Chronic condition health disparities

High blood pressure often leads to heart disease and stroke, which are common causes of death in Tennessee. And Black residents are more likely to experience high blood pressure.
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WHAT WE KNOW

Health disparities have led to higher rates of chronic conditions among minority populations

Everyone deserves to pursue their health goals, but some communities have historically been left behind. We’re committed to health equity, and it starts with a better understanding of the challenges our neighbors face.

Key facts about chronic condition health disparities in Tennessee1

Black women are
2x
more likely to die from diabetes than White women in Tennessee
 
29%
of Tennessee adults don't exercise or get regular physical activity outside of work
 
37%
of Tennessee adults report experiencing anxiety or depression
 
35%
of Tennessee adults experience obesity

By the numbers: chronic condition management for

This data shows how likely members are to receive certain screenings, care or treatments, broken down by race. Each data measure has a specific definition provided under “See More.”

We split the data by type of health plan because we know that, generally speaking, Medicaid members tend to face more social risk factors and health disparities than people with commercial health plans.

Social factors drive health outcomes

We know that food, housing and literacy are just a few of the social factors that influence a person's health journey. That's why we developed a Social Risk Index to understand and support our members' needs.

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Addressing social drivers of health related to chronic health conditions

We're providing culturally competent care training to health care providers to help members get the support they need and to address health disparities preventing members from managing their chronic health conditions.

ADVANCING HEALTH EQUITY
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Data Sources

The calculated measure result rates are considered adjusted, unaudited HEDIS rates. They are only used for population health purposes and internal, quality improvement purposes. All stratified rates are based on data from BCBST administrative systems only. No attempt was made to manually abstract data from patients’ medical records.

HEDIS® – The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is a registered trademark of NCQA.