Measuring Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care: Efforts to Improve Data Collection

Disparities in the quality of health care contribute to higher rates of disease, disability, and mortality in racial and ethnic minority groups. A new policy brief examines recent federal and state activities aimed at strengthening the collection of health-related data on race, ethnicity, and primary language. It highlights three states--California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey--that implemented laws or regulations guiding data collection activities by hospitals, health plans, and government agencies.