Identifying disparities in delivery of healthcare requires data about pt race and ethnicity. Overlapping but competing agendas on how best to obtain data. Articulates the issues and suggests best method, based on experiment performed at Hennepiin County Medical Center. Presented at MN Health Services Research, March 07.

1. MN Health Services Research Conference. 06MAR07 Querying Patients About Race and Ethnicity at Hennepin County Medical Center Yiscah Bracha,M.S. Research Director, CUH

11. Four Methods Tried Marital status Race or ethnicity Question Religious preference Race or ethnicity Question Language(s) Birthplace

12. Four methods 1. Race? (OMB list + White Hispanic Black Hispanic) 2. Ethnicity? (Open-ended) 1. Race? (OMB list + Hispanic) 2. Ethnicity? (Open-ended) 1. Ethnicity? (Open-ended) 2. Race? (OMB list) 1 . Hispanic? (y/n) 2. Race? (OMB list) 3. Ethnicity? (Open-ended) Method 4 Method 3 Method 2 Method 1

14. Quantitative Results 2.6 0.0 3.6 21.1 No answer to race Q (%) 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.1 Avg Time (mins) 92.3 94.9 100.0 85.5 Answered ethnicity Q (%) 92.3 100.0 87.5 78.9 Chose available response to race Q (%) 39 59 56 76 Interviews (n) Four Three Two One Method Outcomes of Interest

21. Extra slides: Office of Management & Budget Statistical Directive 15 (OMB Standard)

25. Extra slides: Issues to consider in question administration: