Disparities in health outcomes and in health care access utilization and quality between people of different races and ethnic backgrounds are well documented in the literature. Government and private-sector parties have sought to better understand these disparities in order to formulate strategies to ensure better health and the highest quality of care for everyone. Often, however, these efforts have been hampered by the limited availability and inconsistent quality of data on race, ethnicity, and other characteristics of individuals. Concerns about these data weaknesses led Congress to ask that the National Academies conduct a comprehensive study of the adequacy of the…