HOW CAN HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS
BECOME MORE HEALTH LITERATE?
W O R K S H O P S U M M A R Y
Lyla M. Hernandez, Rapporteur
Roundtable on Health Literacy
Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
This study was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and Aetna, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HHSP233200900537P), the American College of Physicians, America’s Health Insurance Plans, GlaxoSmithKline, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HHSH25034004T), Johnson & Johnson, the East Bay Foundation (Kaiser Permanente), Merck and Co., Inc., and the Missouri Foundation for Health (09-0290-HL-09). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
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Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2012. How Can Health Care Organizations Become More Health Literate?: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.”
—Goethe
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advising the Nation. Improving Health.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
PLANNING COMMITTEE ON ATTRIBUTES OF
A HEALTH LITERATE ORGANIZATION1
CYNTHIA BAUR, Senior Advisor for Health Literacy, Office of the Associate Director for Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
CINDY BRACH, Senior Health Policy Researcher, Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
BENARD DREYER, Professor of Pediatrics, New York University, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York
JEAN KRAUSE, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, American College of Physicians Foundation
RUTH PARKER, Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
PAUL SCHYVE, Senior Advisor, Quality Improvement, The Joint Commission
1 Institute of Medicine planning committees are solely responsible for organizing the workshop, identifying topics, and choosing speakers. The responsibility for the published workshop summary rests with the workshop rapporteur and the institution.
ROUNDTABLE ON HEALTH LITERACY1
GEORGE ISHAM (Chair), Medical Director and Chief Health Officer, HealthPartners
SHARON E. BARRETT, Health Literacy Staff Consultant, Association of Clinicians for the Underserved
CINDY BRACH, Senior Health Policy Researcher, Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
BENARD P. DREYER, Professor of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, and Chair, American Academy of Pediatrics Health Literacy Program Advisory Committee
LEONARD EPSTEIN, Senior Advisor, Clinical Quality and Culture, Health Resources and Services
DEBBIE FRITZ, Director, Policy and Standards, Health Management Innovations Division, GlaxoSmithKline
MARTHA GRAGG, Vice President of Program, Missouri Foundation for Health
JILL GRIFFITHS, Vice President, Communications, Aetna
LINDA HARRIS, Team Leader, Health Communication and eHealth Team, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
BETSY L. HUMPHREYS, Deputy Director, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
JEAN KRAUSE, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, American College of Physicians Foundation
MARGARET LOVELAND, Global Medical Affairs, Merck & Co., Inc.
PATRICK McGARRY, Assistant Division Director, Scientific Activities Division, American Academy of Family Physicians
RUTH PARKER, Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
YOLANDA PARTIDA, Director, National Program Office, Hablamos Juntos, University of California, San Francisco, Fresno Center for Medical Education & Research
CLARENCE PEARSON, Consultant, Global Health Leadership and Management
SUSAN PISANO, Director of Communications, America’s Health Insurance Plans
1 Institute of Medicine forums and roundtables do not issue, review, or approve individual documents. The responsibility for the published workshop summary rests with the workshop rapporteur and the institution.
ANDREW PLEASANT, Health Literacy and Research Director, Canyon Ranch Institute
SCOTT C. RATZAN, Vice President, Global Health, Johnson & Johnson
WILL ROSS, Associate Dean for Diversity, Associate Professor of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
PAUL M. SCHYVE, Senior Vice President, The Joint Commission
PATRICK WAYTE, Vice President, Marketing and Health Education, American Heart Association
WINSTON F. WONG, Medical Director, Community Benefit, Disparities Improvement and Quality Initiatives, Kaiser Permanente
Study Staff
LYLA M. HERNANDEZ, Roundtable Director
ANDREW LEMERISE, Research Associate
ANGELA MARTIN, Senior Program Assistant
ROSE MARIE MARTINEZ, Director, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Cynthia Baur, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Yolanda Partida, University of California, San Francisco
Lee Sanders, Stanford University
Sarah Hudson Scholle, National Committee for Quality Assurance
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Harold Fallon, University of South Carolina. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the rapporteur and the institution.
Acknowledgments
The sponsors of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy made it possible to plan and conduct the workshop Attributes of a Health Literate Organization. Sponsors from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Non-federal sponsorship was provided by Aetna; the American College of Physicians Foundation; the American Health Insurance Plans; the East Bay Community Foundation (Kaiser Permanente); GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson; Merck and Co., Inc.; and the Missouri Foundation for Health.
The Roundtable wishes to extend its appreciation to Dean Schillinger and Debra Keller for their excellent paper exploring the attributes of a health literate organization. The roundtable also wishes to express its gratitude to the following speakers for their thoughtful and stimulating presentations: William R. Calnon, Debra Dever, Cynthia Horton, Isabel V. Hoverman, Debra Keller, Shari M. Ling, John Neuberger, Ana Pujols-McKee, Dean Schillinger, Darren Townzen, and Ross Wilson. The planning committee members are to be commended for their work in developing an excellent workshop agenda. Members of the planning committee were Cynthia Baur, Cindy Brach, Benard Dreyer, Jean Krause, Ruth Parker, and Paul Schyve.
Health Literacy and Patient-Centered Care
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Perspective
7 REFLECTIONS ON LESSONS LEARNED
C Speaker Biographical Sketches
BOXES
2-1 Patient and Family Capacities to Maximize
2-2 Proposed Attributes of a Health Literate Health Care Organization
FIGURES
2-1 Framework for attributes for health literate health care organizations