APMA News - September/October 2023 - 33

coverage corner
misunderstandings, and build trust. In addition to
improving patient outcomes, cultural competence
leads to greater patient satisfaction.
How Can You Apply Cultural
Competence at Your Practice?
According to the CDC National Prevention
Information Network, cultural competence requires
that organizations:
* have a defined set of values and principles,
and demonstrate behaviors, attitudes, policies,
and structures that enable them to work
effectively cross-culturally;
* have the capacity to value diversity, conduct
self-assessment, manage the dynamics of difference,
acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge,
and adapt to diversity and cultural contexts
of the communities they serve; and
* incorporate the above in all aspects of policy
making, administration, practice, and service
delivery, and involve systematically consumers,
key stakeholders, and communities.
Strategies for building cultural competence in
your practice include:
* collecting data about the race, ethnicity, and
language preferences of your patient population
to identify and meet specific community needs;
* hiring staff who represent the community's
demographics;
* forming relationships with community leaders
and organizations that serve individuals from
various cultures;
* providing ongoing cultural competence training
for all staff; and
* training staff to use interpreters to eliminate
language barriers.
Want More on Cultural Awareness
and Competence?
The US Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) developed the National
Standards for Culturally and Linguistically
Appropriate Services in Health and Health
Care (National CLAS Standards), available at
https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas.
These standards provide a set of 15 action
steps intended to advance health equity,
improve quality, and help eliminate health-care
disparities by providing a blueprint to implement
culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
An implementation checklist for the National
CLAS Standards can be found at https://
thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/
AnImplementationChecklistfortheNational
CLASStandards.pdf.
References
1
National Institutes of Health. Cultural Respect.
https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-officedirector/office-communications-public-liaison/
clear-communication/cultural-respect
2
Tulane
University School of Public Health
and Tropical Medicine. How to Improve
Cultural Competence in Health Care. March 1,
2021. https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/
cultural-competence-in-health-care
2
Cultural Competence In Health and Human
Services | NPIN, https://npin.cdc.gov/pages/
cultural-competence
Disclaimer: The information contained in
Coverage Corner does not establish a standard
of care, nor does it constitute legal advice. The
information is for general informational purposes
only. We encourage all APMA members to consult
with their personal attorneys for legal advice,
as specific legal requirements may vary from state
to state. Links or references to organizations,
websites, or other information are for reference
use only and do not constitute the rendering of
legal, financial, or other professional advice or
recommendations. All information contained in
Coverage Corner is subject to change.
APMA gratefully acknowledges the support of PICA in providing Coverage Corner
to help inform and educate readers.
APMA.ORG
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https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/AnImplementationChecklistfortheNationalCLASStandards.pdf https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/AnImplementationChecklistfortheNationalCLASStandards.pdf https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/AnImplementationChecklistfortheNationalCLASStandards.pdf https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/cultural-respect https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/cultural-respect https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/cultural-respect https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/cultural-competence-in-health-care https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/cultural-competence-in-health-care https://npin.cdc.gov/pages/cultural-competence https://npin.cdc.gov/pages/cultural-competence https://www.picagroup.com http://www.APMA.ORG

APMA News - September/October 2023

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