The Connecticut State Medical Society hosted a well-attended symposium yesterday highlighting its multi-year research into racial and ethnic disparities in readmissions.

The symposium, funded by a generous grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation, brought together physicians, nurses, patients, and other stakeholders from across the state. The stakeholders had an opportunity to review and discuss the CSMS research data, and also provided insight and interpretations of the disparities. This stakeholder feedback will be integrated into clinical recommendations for care delivery models that may help to reduce the level of disparity in hospital readmission rates.

CSMS was pleased to have American Medical Association (AMA) President Robert Wah, MD and National Medical Association (NMA) President Lawrence Sanders, MD as keynote speakers. Drs. Wah and Sanders were joined by speakers from the Connecticut Health Foundation, the Connecticut Hospital Association, the Center for Public Health and Health Policy at UConn Health, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and CSMS.

Many thanks to the CSMS physician leaders who gave presentations and led breakout sessions, including Drs. M. Natalie Achong, Latha Alaparthi, Ross Benthien, Mark DeFrancesco, Steve Flesichman, Claudia Gruss, David Hass, Kathleen LaVorgna, Courtland Lewis, and Steve Wolfson.

The CSMS research findings were highlighted in a story from the Connecticut Health Investigative Team (C-HIT), and a detailed report of the study is available in the February 2015 issue of Connecticut Medicine, CSMS' peer-reviewed scientific journal.