Healthcare employers can improve patient outcomes by infusing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) into their hiring, retention, and training practices. Legal minimums require that employers cannot make employment decisions based on any protected category, including race, national origin, and sex. But beyond these requirements, healthcare organizations need to prioritize DEIA to mitigate negative patient outcomes and increase the ability to provide high-quality patient care.

The Joint Commission has implemented healthcare equity standards that can be integrated into various hospital, ambulatory, and behavioral healthcare accreditation programs. Healthcare employers can take practical and proactive steps to improve patient outcomes by creating a health equity roadmap, assessing health-related social needs and creating a plan to address them, and staffing facilities with diverse employees who bring a variety of perspective and experiences that can build connections with the community.

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