ABOUT US
THE CENTER FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES
Welcome to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Portal to Understanding, Learning, Sharing and Educating (CMSPULSE) Health Disparities Web site dedicated to reporting on health disparities for priority populations:
- Racial and ethnic minorities
- Low-income groups
- Women
- Children
- Older adults
- Residents of rural areas and inner cities, and
- Individuals with disabilities and special health care needs.
According to the 2003 Institute of Medicine's Report on Unequal Treatment, racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States tend to receive lower quality health care than the non-minority population, even when access-related factors, such as patients' insurance status and income, are controlled. This definition has been expanded to include rural communities.
CMS is an advocate for providing quality access to health care for its Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and is running a robust Agency-wide initiative to address health disparities. The CMSPULSE Web site is devoted to understanding healthcare disparities, learning how to reduce disparities, sharing the information, educating others, and informing users of health disparities initiatives and activities.