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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
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IMPROVING
HEALTH LITERACY
WITHIN A STATE

WORKSHOP SUMMARY

Maria Hewitt, 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.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS  500 Fifth Street, N.W.  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 the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HHSP233200900537P), Health Resources and Services Administration (HHSH25034004T), American College of Physicians Foundation, Association of Health Insurance Plans, the East Bay Community Foundation; GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, 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.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-21572-5
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-21572-2

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu. For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
×

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
”      

                                                —Goethe

image

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
              OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
×

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.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE ON UNDERSTANDING WHAT WORKS IN HEALTH LITERACY ACROSS A STATE1

SHARON BARRETTT, Health Literacy Staff Consultant, Association of Clinicians for the Underserved

CAROLYN COCOTAS, Senior Vice President, Quality and Corporate Compliance, F.E.G.S. Health and Human Services

JEAN KRAUSE, Executive Vice President and CEO, American College of Physicians Foundation

RUTH PARKER, Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

DEAN SCHILLINGER, Professor of Medicine in Residence, University of California San Francisco

_____________

1Institute 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.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
×

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

CAROLYN COCOTAS, Senior Vice President, Quality and Corporate Compliance, F.E.G.S. Health and Human Services System

ARTHUR CULBERT, President and CEO, Health Literacy Missouri

MICHAEL L. DAVIS, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, General Mills, Inc.

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

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 CEO, 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

_____________

1Institute 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.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
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CLARENCE PEARSON, Consultant, Globabl Health Leadership and Management

SUSAN PISANO, Director of Communications, America’s Health Insurance Plans

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, Staff Director

CHINA DICKERSON, Senior Project Assistant (until December 2, 2010)

ANGELA MARTIN, Senior Project Assistant (beginning November 1, 2010)

ROSE MARIE MARTINEZ, Director, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
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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:

Martha Gragg, Medical University of South Carolina

John Gutierrez, University of California Los Angeles School of Dentistry

Lauren McCormack, RTI International

Antronette Yancy, University of California Los Angeles Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not endorse the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Harold J. Fallon, Medical 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.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13185.
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Acknowledgments

The sponsors of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy made it possible to plan and conduct the workshop, Understanding What Works in Improving Health Literacy Within a State. 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 the American College of Physicians Foundation; the Association of Health Insurance Plans; the East Bay Community Foundation; GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson; Kaiser Permanente; Merck and Co., Inc.; and the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The Roundtable wishes to express its gratitude to the following speakers for their thoughtful and stimulating presentations: Mary Ann Abrams, Ellen Beck, Arthur Culbert, Terry Davis, Ariella Herman, Carol Mangione, Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., Rima Rudd, Dean Schillinger, Pam C. Silberman, Cynthia Solomon, and Eugene Washington. The Roundtable also wishes to express its appreciation to the planning committee for their hard work in putting together an excellent workshop agenda. Members of the planning committee are Sharon Barrett, Carolyn Cocotas, Jean Krause, Ruth Parker, and Dean Schillinger.

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Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary Get This Book
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Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions. According to Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion (IOM, 2004), nearly half of all American adults--90 million people--have inadequate health literacy to navigate the healthcare system.

To address issues raised in that report, the Institute of Medicine convened the Roundtable on Health Literacy, which brings together leaders from the federal government, foundations, health plans, associations, and private companies to discuss challenges facing health literacy practice and research and to identify approaches to promote health literacy in both the public and private sectors. On November 30, 2010, the roundtable cosponsored a workshop with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles.

Improving Health Literacy Within a State serves as a summary of what occurred at the workshop. The workshop focused on understanding what works to improve health literacy across a state, including how various stakeholders have a role in improving health literacy. The focus of the workshop was on presentations and discussions that address (1) the clinical impacts of health literacy improvement approaches; (2) economic outcomes of health literacy implementation; and (3) how various stakeholders can affect health literacy.

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