In an effort to help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care, United Health Care, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) company, is partnering with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Office of Minority Health to disseminate cultural competency education modules for health care professionals.

United Health Care is publicizing the Office of Minority Health's new on-line, self-directed education modules titled "A Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care" that enable physicians and other health care professionals to more effectively provide treatment for the country's increasingly diverse population.

With themes on Culturally Competent Care, Language Access Services and Organizational Supports, these modules are available on-line and at no cost at Office of Minority Health's Web site, "Think Cultural Health"

To further awareness of these tools, UnitedHealthcare has created links in its Spanish-language Web site, http://www.uhclatino.com, and physician portal, http://www.unitedhealthcareonline.com. In addition, UnitedHealthcare is promoting the modules to the more than 520,000 physicians nationwide with whom it contracts.

According to Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health Garth N. Graham, M.D., the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is committed to the pursuit of cultural competency for patients from other cultures. "Cultural competency is a key issue for the U.S. health care work force, and this new guide to culturally competent care empowers health care professionals with the knowledge and skills to better treat our increasingly diverse population," Graham said.

Physicians can log in anytime, anywhere to complete the courses, which contain a variety of self-assessments, case studies, video vignettes, learning points, and pre and post-tests. Physicians are eligible to receive up to nine American Academy of Family Physician- and American Medical Association-accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits.

"We at UnitedHealth Group respect the desire of physicians to provide the best possible care to all of their patients regardless of ethnic or cultural backgrounds," said Reed Tuckson, M.D., UnitedHealth Group's executive vice president and chief of Medical Affairs. "We applaud the Department of Health & Human Services for developing the Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care, and we are excited to do our part to make this information more available so as to optimize health care outcomes for all Americans."

"Studies show that patients respond better when care instructions are delivered in their own language and their cultural background is taken into account," said Russell Bennett, vice president of UnitedHealthcare's Latino Health Solutions. "Regardless of their patients' language preference, physicians and other health professionals need access to relevant information about their patients' cultural needs. UnitedHealthcare is proud to join the Office of Minority Health in bringing a heightened sense of awareness to this issue that we firmly believe will play a critical role in improving our nation's health."