The Coalition to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes (credo): Why credo Matters to Cardiologists

This report reviews the rationale for the American College of Cardiology’s Coalition to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes (credo) and the tools that will be made available to cardiologists and others treating cardiovascular disease (CVD) to better meet the needs of their diverse patient populations. Even as the patient population with CVD grows increasingly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, age, and sex, many cardiologists and other health care providers are unaware of the negative influence of disparate care on CVD outcomes and do not have the tools needed to improve care and outcomes for patients from different demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Reviewed published reports assessed the need for redressing CVD disparities and the evidence concerning interventions that can assist cardiology care providers in improving care and outcomes for diverse CVD patient populations. Evidence points to the effectiveness of performance measure-based quality improvement, provider cultural competency training, team-based care, and patient education as strategies to promote the elimination of disparate CVD care and in turn might lead to better outcomes. credo has launched several initiatives built on these evidence-based principles and will be expanding these tools along with research. credo will provide the CVD treatment community with greater awareness of disparities and tools to help close the gap in care and outcomes for all patient subpopulations.