Healthcare Glossary

Quality Quest for Health of Illinois

Preventive Care

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Preventive Care

Preventive Care by the #s

2.5

Percentage of Americans who receive all recommended services1

55

Percentage of recommended preventive services the average American receives1

40

Percentage of US annual deaths that are preventable, such as those due to smoking, diet, inactivity, or alcohol2

150k

Estimated number of US lives that would be saved annually if 90 percent of the population receives seven preventive care services including daily aspirin, smoking cessation help, annual flu immunization, chlamydia screening, and colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening3


  1. New England Journal of Medicine
  2. Journal of the American Medical Association
  3. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Only 2.5 percent of Americans receive all recommended preventive services. In our complex healthcare system, preventive care often falls through the cracks.

However, it is not just about more care. It is about the right amount of care. Too much preventive care can be a bad thing.

 

How is that possible?

Americans often receive preventive care services they do not need. Not only can this be expensive and inconvenient, it can actually be harmful.  For example, a screening may be showing too many false positives, causing patients to undergo risky treatments for no reason.

The US Preventive Services Task Force issues preventive care recommendations based on the latest evidence. As science changes, patient care recommendations change -- and they should.

In summary, the task force’s recommendations are designed to address two healthcare problems: Underuse and overuse. Underuse means you aren’t getting what you need. Overuse means you are getting too much.

 

 What is Quality Quest doing?

The most powerful tool that came out of the Preventive Care Team is the Preventive Care Calculator, which generates a list of recommended services you require based on age and gender. The results are intended to be taken to your doctor for discussion.

 

Where can I find more information?

 

Resources for Consumers:

The Affordable Care Act and the Quick Guide to Healthy Living

Medicare: Covered Preventive Services

Million Hearts

US Health and Human Services: Prevention

 

Resources for Providers and Insurers:

US Preventive Services Task Force

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Prevention and Care Management Resources and Materials

The Community Guide

 

Resources for Employers:

The Community Guide: Worksite Health Promotion



Evidence is information that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion.  In the field of health, Evidence is collected in an orderly way to help us understand what to do.  This information can come from medical research.
Underuse refers to the failure to provide a health care service when it would have produced a favorable outcome for a patient. Standard examples include failure to provide appropriate preventive services to eligible patients (e.g., Pap smears, flu shots for elderly patients, screening for hypertension) and proven medications for chronic illnesses (steroid inhalers for asthmatics; aspirin, beta-blockers and lipid-lowering agents for patients who have suffered a recent myocardial infarction).
Overuse describes a process of care in circumstances where the potential for harm exceeds the potential for benefit. Prescribing an antibiotic for a viral infection like a cold, for which antibiotics are ineffective, constitutes Overuse. The potential for harm includes adverse reactions to the antibiotics and increases in antibiotic resistance among bacteria in the community. Overuse can also apply to diagnostic tests and surgical procedures.
Underuse refers to the failure to provide a health care service when it would have produced a favorable outcome for a patient. Standard examples include failure to provide appropriate preventive services to eligible patients (e.g., Pap smears, flu shots for elderly patients, screening for hypertension) and proven medications for chronic illnesses (steroid inhalers for asthmatics; aspirin, beta-blockers and lipid-lowering agents for patients who have suffered a recent myocardial infarction).
Overuse describes a process of care in circumstances where the potential for harm exceeds the potential for benefit. Prescribing an antibiotic for a viral infection like a cold, for which antibiotics are ineffective, constitutes Overuse. The potential for harm includes adverse reactions to the antibiotics and increases in antibiotic resistance among bacteria in the community. Overuse can also apply to diagnostic tests and surgical procedures.
Medicare is a national health insurance program for people age 65 or older that is paid for by the federal government.  Medicare has four parts.  Part A helps cover the basic costs of medical care, surgery, and mental hospital care.  Part B is extra insurance, and while the government pays for part of it people in the program pay insurance premiums, too.  Part C is a choice to get Parts A and B through a private insurance plan.  Part D helps cover prescription drug costs.  Medicare is considered an entitlement program, since anyone age 65 or older is eligible, and currently covers over 40 million people in the United States.