Health Care Final 10-15-09 - 7.1.d - Cholesterol Screening

7.1.d - Cholesterol Screening for Cardiovascular Conditions

How well are Washingtonians controlling chronic conditions?

Operation in progress...

Data Notes
Data Source:	NCQA HHEDIS Dataset (commercial non-Medicare) CY 2008
Measure Definition:	Percentage of health plan enrollees receiving annual cholesterol screening for cardiovascular conditions in HEDIS-reporting health plans
Target Rationale:	Benchmark: Regional 75th percentile score for reporting health plans
Link to Agency Strategic Plan	Managing chronic conditions as indicator of overall health quality
Relevance:	Cholesterol screeing is basic to preventing heart attacks and stroke.
Notes (optional):	HCA Rate is weighted to reflect distribution of enrollment among participating health plans
Also Available:
Action Plan:	yes
Extended Analysis:	no

The percentage of enrollees in HCA-participating managed care healthplans who received annual cholesterol screening for cardiovascular conditions in CY 2008 (85.7%) matches the benchmark regional 75th percentile (85%).
Screening is the first step in cholesterol management (e.g. cholesterol-lowering medication), which in turn is central to reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke--respectively the first and third most common causes of death in the United States.