Racial Disparities in Health 

The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with recent attention to issues of social and civil injustice, highlights the need to address health disparities generally and particularly within communities and patients of color. 

Public health data reveals significant differences in the mortality rates for patients of color who are stricken by COVID-19 versus White patients. 

Social determinants of health, access to healthcare, affordability of care, and underlying medical conditions contribute to these disproportionate impacts. The prevalence of certain chronic illnesses within communities and patients of color also leads to devasting health impacts and decreased life expectancy. 

Our Role 

AdvaMed and its members have an important role to play in this effort as we make the technologies and tests that result in the accurate diagnosis of disease and in improved patient outcomes. 

We are collectively engaged in efforts to ensure that our industry is doing its part to mitigate the adverse impacts of health disparities among people and communities of color. 

Principles on Health Equity 

AdvaMed has issued a board-created and board-approved set of principles to guide the industry – as well as interested health care stakeholders, including clinicians and hospitals – in addressing racial health disparities.   

Specifically, the principles call on industry to: 

1. Promote inclusion and equity and health care, 

2. Partner in education with stakeholders, 

3. Advocate for and facilitate patient access to innovative technology, and 

4. Promote research equity in the medtech industry. 

AdvaMed is committed to long-term action to reach real solutions. The following principles and considerations are intended as initial steps to guide industry as well as interested stakeholders including clinicians, health care providers, and health care facilities as we all embrace the long overdue call to address these inequities.