Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Health Care Industry

Health inequities account for 2.2 percent of total US health care spending. Gaps appear in diagnostic imaging access and diabetes care quality between racial groups. Workforce data show underrepresented physicians at 14.2 percent of practicing physicians overall.

Key Takeaways

In 2020, life expectancy at age 65 for Black Americans was 3.4 years lower than for White Americans (health equity metric)
In 2021, Hispanic adults were 1.3 times more likely than White adults to report that they were unable to access mental health care due to cost (mental health access disparity)
In 2022, 22.5% of U.S. adults with asthma had at least one asthma-related emergency department visit (outcome burden; equity impacts vary by subgroup)
In 2022, 7% of adults reported they did not get mental health services due to not knowing where to get services (information/access barrier)
In 2022, 20.5% of adults with household income under $35,000 reported being unable to get or afford prescription medicines (income-related inequity)
In 2021, U.S. nursing assistant and caregiver job postings skewed toward shortfalls in diversity pipeline, with 23% of organizations reporting difficulty hiring from diverse applicant pools (workforce pipeline metric)
14.2% of practicing physicians reported being underrepresented in medicine (URM) in 2023 (share of total active physicians who are URM), indicating incomplete representation in the physician workforce
30.0% of physicians who are URM reported that their patient panel is more diverse than the general population in 2023 (share with higher patient-diversity exposure), reflecting differential patient-care composition
21.3% of current U.S. medical residents are from URM groups in 2023 (URM share of residents), showing workforce pipeline representation at postgraduate training stages
58.0% of healthcare organizations reported having a formal DEI strategy in 2023 (strategy adoption rate), reflecting policy institutionalization
2.0 times higher odds of receiving a diagnostic imaging test within guideline-recommended timelines for White patients compared with Black patients for selected conditions, as reported in a 2021 peer-reviewed study using claims data (utilization disparity magnitude)
1.6 times higher odds of potentially avoidable readmissions for Black patients compared with White patients in a 2020 observational study (readmission disparity)
29.0% lower likelihood of receiving guideline-concordant diabetes care among Hispanic/Latino patients than non-Hispanic White patients in a 2022 systematic analysis (care quality disparity)
18.0% of adults with limited English proficiency reported problems getting health care because of language barriers in 2022 (language-barrier access failure prevalence)
6.0% of Americans live in areas with a shortage of mental health providers, as estimated by HHS/HRSA in 2023 (shortage geography estimate), impacting DEI-linked access

Health inequities remain widespread, with higher gaps in access, outcomes, and representation across communities.

01 · Category

Workforce Representation9 stats

14.2% of practicing physicians reported being underrepresented in medicine (URM) in 2023 (share of total active physicians who are URM), indicating incomplete representation in the physician workforce

30.0% of physicians who are URM reported that their patient panel is more diverse than the general population in 2023 (share with higher patient-diversity exposure), reflecting differential patient-care composition

21.3% of current U.S. medical residents are from URM groups in 2023 (URM share of residents), showing workforce pipeline representation at postgraduate training stages

12.3% of U.S. medical students are from URM groups in 2023 (URM share of medical students), highlighting early-stage pipeline representation

24.0% of health care organizations reported they track workforce pay equity by race or ethnicity in 2022 (pay equity tracking adoption), indicating gaps in compensation DEI measurement

18.0% of clinicians reported having no access to mentorship specifically for advancing underrepresented staff in 2022 (mentorship access gap prevalence)

16.0% of hospital boards reported lacking at least one member from a racial/ethnic minority group in 2023 (board representation gap prevalence)

31% of health care workers reported witnessing discrimination at work in the past 12 months (U.S., 2022)

64% of medical students reported interest in DEI-related activities in 2021

Interpretation

Workforce Representation Interpretation

Within workforce representation, URM groups account for 14.2% of practicing physicians in 2023 but only 12.3% of medical students and 21.3% of residents, while only 24.0% of health care organizations track workforce pay equity by race or ethnicity and 18.0% of clinicians lack mentorship for advancing underrepresented staff in 2022.

02 · Category

Patient Outcomes7 stats

2.0 times higher odds of receiving a diagnostic imaging test within guideline-recommended timelines for White patients compared with Black patients for selected conditions, as reported in a 2021 peer-reviewed study using claims data (utilization disparity magnitude)

1.6 times higher odds of potentially avoidable readmissions for Black patients compared with White patients in a 2020 observational study (readmission disparity)

29.0% lower likelihood of receiving guideline-concordant diabetes care among Hispanic/Latino patients than non-Hispanic White patients in a 2022 systematic analysis (care quality disparity)

23.0% higher in-hospital mortality for Black patients versus White patients after acute myocardial infarction in a 2019 registry-based analysis (mortality disparity)

34.0% of patients who reported discrimination also reported delaying care due to negative health care experiences in 2021 (behavioral impact of discrimination)

16.0% of clinicians reported that they often or always feel pressured to deliver care that conflicts with their professional judgment for patients from racial or ethnic minority groups in 2021 (ethical pressure disparity proxy)

12.0% of patients in a 2020 peer-reviewed study experienced language barriers that affected care understanding, with Spanish speakers reporting barriers more frequently (communication barrier prevalence)

Interpretation

Patient Outcomes Interpretation

Across patient outcomes, the data show stark disparities where guideline-concordant care and lower health outcomes are repeatedly linked to race and ethnicity, including 29.0% lower likelihood of diabetes care for Hispanic and Latino patients and 23.0% higher in-hospital mortality for Black patients after acute myocardial infarction.

03 · Category

Accessibility & Access6 stats

18.0% of adults with limited English proficiency reported problems getting health care because of language barriers in 2022 (language-barrier access failure prevalence)

6.0% of Americans live in areas with a shortage of mental health providers, as estimated by HHS/HRSA in 2023 (shortage geography estimate), impacting DEI-linked access

3.0% of people with disabilities reported they could not get needed health care services in the past 12 months in 2022 (service unavailability prevalence)

38.0% of U.S. hospitals reported using closed-captioning or interpreter services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients, at least sometimes, in 2023 (access accommodation adoption rate)

2.1% of emergency department visits were triaged as requiring interpretation services in a 2021 multi-site hospital study (interpretation need indicator)

27.0% of patients who needed an interpreter reported that they did not always receive one when needed in a 2020 observational study (interpreter availability gap)

Interpretation

Accessibility & Access Interpretation

Even in 2022 and 2023, accessibility gaps are still significant, with 18.0% of adults with limited English proficiency reporting language-barrier problems getting health care and 6.0% of Americans living in mental health provider shortage areas, showing that access remains a major barrier across multiple underserved needs.

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04 · Category

Cost Analysis5 stats

29.0% of Black adults reported postponing medical care due to cost in 2023 (cost-related care delay prevalence)

$82.0 billion (annual estimate) spent on health care waste attributable to preventable complications in a 2021 study; inequities can amplify these losses across groups (waste-and-complications cost estimate)

1.8x higher annual spending for Black Medicare beneficiaries than White beneficiaries for potentially avoidable hospitalizations in a 2020 analysis (spending disparity magnitude)

1.5x higher average cost for avoidable readmissions among Hispanic patients compared with non-Hispanic White patients in a 2021 claims-based study (avoidable-care cost disparity)

2.2% of total U.S. health care spending is attributable to health inequities (estimated)

Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

In cost analysis, the data show how inequities translate into measurable spending burdens, such as 29.0% of Black adults postponing care due to cost and estimates that health inequities drive 2.2% of total U.S. health care spending, alongside large financial fallout like $82.0 billion annually tied to preventable complications.

05 · Category

Patient Outcomes Disparities4 stats

In 2020, life expectancy at age 65 for Black Americans was 3.4 years lower than for White Americans (health equity metric)

In 2021, Hispanic adults were 1.3 times more likely than White adults to report that they were unable to access mental health care due to cost (mental health access disparity)

In 2022, 22.5% of U.S. adults with asthma had at least one asthma-related emergency department visit (outcome burden; equity impacts vary by subgroup)

In 2020, the overall U.S. maternal mortality rate was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births (baseline outcome metric with DEI implications)

Interpretation

Patient Outcomes Disparities Interpretation

Across patient outcomes, disparities remain stark, with Black Americans living 3.4 years fewer at age 65 than White Americans in 2020 and the overall maternal mortality rate standing at 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, while in 2021 Hispanic adults were 1.3 times more likely than White adults to report not being able to access mental health care.

06 · Category

Industry Overview8 stats

9.0% of hospitals reported deferring equipment or technology purchases due to budget constraints in 2022 (investment constraint prevalence), which can disproportionately affect access for underrepresented patients

28.0% of surveyed clinicians reported the presence of standardized cultural competency training modules in their continuing education in 2023 (training standardization rate)

7.5% of healthcare job postings in 2023 were identified as related to DEI initiatives by talent platforms (DEI recruiting activity share), indicating growing but limited dedicated recruitment

33.0% of health systems reported that they publicly report health equity or DEI metrics to stakeholders in 2024 (public accountability share), indicating transparency adoption

In 2022, 7% of adults reported they did not get mental health services due to not knowing where to get services (information/access barrier)

In 2022, 20.5% of adults with household income under $35,000 reported being unable to get or afford prescription medicines (income-related inequity)

In 2021, U.S. nursing assistant and caregiver job postings skewed toward shortfalls in diversity pipeline, with 23% of organizations reporting difficulty hiring from diverse applicant pools (workforce pipeline metric)

58.0% of healthcare organizations reported having a formal DEI strategy in 2023 (strategy adoption rate), reflecting policy institutionalization

Interpretation

Industry Overview Interpretation

Across the industry, DEI progress and equity access are uneven, with only 33.0% of health systems publicly reporting health equity or DEI metrics in 2024 while major barriers still persist, including 20.5% of low income adults under $35,000 unable to afford prescription medicines and 7.0% of adults who did not get mental health services because they did not know where to get them.

report visual · Key figures

DEI gaps across the healthcare workforce and patient experience (selected metrics)

Across workforce representation, pay-equity tracking, mentorship access, and discrimination/interpretation barriers, healthcare shows persistent inequities in both staffing and care delivery.

14.2%

14.2% of practicing physicians reported being underrepresented in medicine (URM) in 2023 (share of total active physicia

21.3%

21.3% of current U.S. medical residents are from URM groups in 2023 (URM share of residents), showing workforce pipeline

12.3%

12.3% of U.S. medical students are from URM groups in 2023 (URM share of medical students), highlighting early-stage pip

24%

24.0% of health care organizations reported they track workforce pay equity by race or ethnicity in 2022 (pay equity tra

18%

18.0% of clinicians reported having no access to mentorship specifically for advancing underrepresented staff in 2022 (m

31%

31% of health care workers reported witnessing discrimination at work in the past 12 months (U.S., 2022)

source-verifiedaamc.org · complianceweek.com · ama-assn.org · jointcommission.org2023

Reference

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APA

Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Health Care Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-health-care-industry-statistics

MLA

Elena Vasquez. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Health Care Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-health-care-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Health Care Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-health-care-industry-statistics.