Access to Culturally and Linguistically Competent Providers. ▪ A description of how the health plan will effectively provide services to people of all cultures, races, ethnic backgrounds and national origins, geographies, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and religions in a manner that recognizes, affirms and respects the worth of the individual members and protects and preserves the dignity of each member. ▪ Identification of inequities and their root causes for the Contractor’s membership including inequities that arise with certain diagnoses, the development of targeted interventions that are trauma informed and measures to reduce these inequities, and a description of how to evaluate progress in disparity reduction efforts will be collected and analyzed. ▪ The utilization of Community Health Workers as part of broader community health integration initiatives and promotion of culturally competent care. ▪ A training plan in equity and cultural competency for the Contractor’s staff. Documentation of periodic training shall be provided in the annual assessment. The plan shall be assessed by the Contractor annually and submitted to FSSA by August 1st for calendar year 2023 and by January 31st for all remaining calendar years of the Contract period. The assessment shall provide the outcome measures used to measure progress in the prior year, and any new interventions the Contractor will incorporate in the next year. The Contractor shall follow the guidance provided by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) regarding the stratification of HEDIS measures by race and ethnicity. The Contractor shall ensure that all subcontractor’s services and sites are physically and digitally accessible, following the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508) and that all subcontractors are culturally competent.
