JACKSON, Miss.  

Two Mississippi hospitals have been chosen to participate in a nationwide program aimed at reducing racial and ethnic disparities in cardiac care.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and Delta Regional Medical Center in Greenville are two of only 10 hospitals in the county involved in the Expecting Success Program.

The program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and coordinated by the George Washington Medical Center School of Public Health and Health Services, is a 29-month collaborative process in which the hospitals will track patient data by race, ethnicity and language.

The goal of the study is to determine whether specific patient populations are receiving adequate care.

“Eliminating disparities in health care has always been a top priority at UMC,'' said Dr. Michael D. Winneford, vice chair of UMC's Department of Medicine and Surgery. “Our patients will benefit by improved quality of care, which will lead to fewer hospitalizations, better quality of life and reduced mortality rate.''

Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said the introduction of the Expecting Success Program is a significant step in bringing equality to cardiac care.

“We are excited to work with these hospitals toward the goal of providing high-quality care for all Americans,'' she said. “For years research has shown that patients from certain racial or ethnic backgrounds are more likely to receive lower quality care.''

The hospitals were chosen for the program based on their large numbers of minority patients and will participate in a “learning network” to share information.

Other hospitals involved in the program are: Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, Texas; Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C.; Memorial Health Care System in Hollywood, Fla.; Montefiore Medical Center in New York; Mount Sinai Medical Center in Chicago; Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit; University Health System in San Antonio; and Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C.