Race, ethnicity and language data

While providers generally strive to give each patient the best care, research shows that overall, some groups of patients do not receive the same levels of care as others. By collecting this data and then monitoring it, health care providers can see if all patients are receiving the highest-quality care and, if not, if there are patterns that can help them see where to intervene.

Race (such as white or Black) is a social construct not a biological concept. It is used to describe and categorize people based on characteristics like physical features. Ethnicity (such as Hispanic or Latino) is a characterization of people based on having a shared culture. While neither race nor ethnicity inherently puts a person at risk for worse health outcomes, research shows that patients of certain racial and ethnic groups are less likely to receive the best care and might have worse outcomes. Having data on the race and ethnicity of all patients allows providers to analyze whether there are any patterns or issues in the care patients are receiving, and, if so, to design interventions to ensure everyone is receiving the best care possible. Similarly, knowing the language patients are most comfortable using can help ensure they receive interpretation and resources in their preferred language, allowing them to better understand their care and communicate with health care providers.

All patients are asked for this information.

No, it is up to you if you would like to answer the questions or not.

Sharing your race, ethnicity, and language preference will not affect the care you receive. However, by providing this data along with thousands of other patients, you can help to hold health care providers accountable and ensure everyone is receiving the same standard of care, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or language preference. Ultimately this could lead to improvements in care for everyone. In addition, sharing your language preference could help your care provider ensure you receive translation and resources in your preferred language.

Any information you share will be kept confidential. Like your other medical information, it won’t be shared with anyone who is not authorized to view it.

You can leave any questions you are not sure about blank. Staff members may also be able to help you figure out the best way to answer.

Your medical provider and staff at your doctor’s office or hospital can answer questions. For more resources online, we have provided links to other FAQs here.

You can read more about what health systems have learned from collecting and analyzing REL data here.