Our Commitment to Health Equity

Tufts Medicine is fully committed to ensuring that everyone can achieve and maintain their full health potential. Our new We Ask Because We Care initiative will educate our team members on how to gather this important data and help our patients understand how it benefits them and their community.

We ask because we care

Health Equity Priorities 

Tufts Medicine is fully committed to ensuring that everyone can achieve and maintain their full health potential. That is how we define health equity. To realize our bold vision of creating the most equitable and frictionless healthcare experience in the world, we are focused on four overarching health equity priorities to eliminate disparities in access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes:  

  • Access to Quality and Equitable Care: Ensure all people, regardless of social factors, can get timely, affordable, high-quality, equitable health services from culturally competent providers.  
  • Physical, Mental and Social Wellbeing: Play a critical role in supporting behavioral health and health behaviors that contribute to physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of disease, or infirmity.   
  • Health-related Social Needs: Identify and address community-level barriers to health, influence policy through advocacy efforts, and make investments to ensure equitable access to living conditions that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes.  
  • Address Bias in Medicine: Represent the communities we serve and build workforce capacity to eliminate biases historically entrenched in medical research, education, and practice.  

Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity Highlights Report

Access our Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity Highlights Report to learn more about our investments and work in the communities we serve.

Download the report

We Ask Because We Care

To provide you with effective, equitable, and culturally competent care we need to know who you are. We Ask Because We Care is an important initiative that helps us gather important information to improve your care experience and address larger health disparities in our communities.

Learn about the questions we ask every patient and why:

 

This information helps us: 

  • know you and our community better 
  • deliver welcoming and affirming care 
  • provide interpreter services 
  • support programs that improve quality of care 
  • meet compliance standards 

Note: not all options listed below are available. Over the next several months additional options will be featured.

  • Race: The racial group or groups you identify with. 
  • Ethnicity: In the context of patient demographic data collection, this field is to indicate whether you identify as Hispanic/Latinx. 
  • Ethnic background: Your ethnic origin, heritage, or the birthplace of your parents or ancestors. Examples include “Chinese” or “Mexican.” Knowing our patients’ ethnic backgrounds improves our ability to identify and address the differences in care received across patient populations. 
  • Preferred (written) language: The language you feel most comfortable reading when communicating with medical staff. 
  • Preferred (spoken) language: The language you feel most comfortable speaking when communicating with medical staff. 
  • Pronouns: The personal pronouns you would like others to use when talking to or about you.   
  • Gender identity: Your internal sense of self and gender, whether that is man, woman, neither or both 
  • Sexual orientation: Who you are attracted to and want to have relationships with. 
  • Disability: A physical or mental condition or impairment for which you may require assistance or accommodation. 

Tufts Medicine call center, front desk, and patient services staff members may ask these questions. Members of your care team may ask you too.  

This information is confidential. As with all information in your medical record, we only use the information if it is needed to provide care or other hospital services. Your information is always protected. 

You do not have to answer them. It will not affect your care. Your doctor may also ask these questions privately during your visit. You do not have to share your answers. You can also ask your doctor questions. 

Patient portals are set up to allow patients to enter this information. You can enter as much or as little information as you want. Over the next few months, additional options will be available.  Click here to access or download MyTuftsMed.