Prevention, Immunization, Screening (see also Disease topics)
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CDC Injury Facts – CDC Injury Center
Get the facts on injuries from the CDC Injury Center. Traumatic brain injury/concussion, prescription drug overdose (especially opioids), falls, mass casualties, alcohol-related injuries, distracted driving injuries, teen drivers and car accidents, fires and burn injuries, motor vehicle crashes, poisoning, suicide, and violence, and prevention opportunities and more.
Consumer Guide to Prevention – USPSTF Recommendations Editor's Pick
Recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for more than 100 Screening tests, Preventive Medication, and Counseling activities. Individual Consumer Guides for all different types of cancer, obesity, high blood pressure, speech and language disorders, hearing loss, chronic kidney disease, depression, diabetes, abdominal aortic aneurysm, sexually transmitted disease, osteoporosis, and much more. Counseling for alcohol misuse, diet and physical activity. In some cases, the site includes screening guidelines published by other experts, such as JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. The USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. Updated 2022.
Falls Can Kill Seniors – CDC facts
CDC Facts on falls and seniors. Falls caused about 3 million trips to the ER, and over 800,000 hospitalizations for older people. CDC reports that “Falling once doubles your chances of falling again.” Head injury and hip fractures were the most common reasons for fall-related hospital stays. Only half of seniors who fell told their doctor. Find out steps you can take: home safety, exercise, eye exams, and medicine use. Unintentional fall death rates have been rising in the last 10 years (see graph). Updated 2021.
Flu – Preventing Seasonal Flu (Influenza)
Preventing seasonal flu (influenza) is as important as ever in 2022-2023, while COVID-19 is still circulating. This website is CDC’s guide for preventing the flu, including who should get the flu shot, and how vaccination is the single best way to prevent the flu. CDC notes: “Flu vaccines help to reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system each year.” Recommendations are to get vaccinated before the end of October. Generally, it takes about two weeks to get the full effect of the antibody protection from the vaccine.
Healthy People 2020 – Goals
Healthy People 2020 is the US government’s set of national goals to prevent disease and promote health. There are hundreds of objectives in 42 areas, including Cancer, Physical Activity, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight, Tobacco Use, Substance Abuse, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Immunizations, Chronic Kidney Disease and more. New topics & goals for genomics, global health, dementia/Alzheimer’s, adolescents, older adults, preparedness, sleep, healthcare-associated infections and others. Interesting objective is to reduce the number of measles cases from the baseline of 115 (2008) to 30 by 2020. In 2020, the CDC reported 13 cases of measles, the lowest in 10 years. For the most recent full year 2021, 49 measles cases were reported. In many cases, the Healthy People 2020 goals show data only through 2018; the goal is adjusted to count only “US-acquired cases”. Influenza vaccination data and goals are also included in this set. Healthy People 2030 objectives are now available.
Men: Checklist for Staying Healthy at Any Age
Find out what steps are recommended for men to stay healthy at any age. Checklist includes just 2 screening tests. But it also links to additional recommendations on preventive screenings men need at any age to stay healthy. AHRQ at US Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Prediabetes Management Guidelines (AACE)
Guidelines for the management of Prediabetes have been included in the Comprehensive Type 2 Diabetes Management Algorithm. Provided by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). According to the CDC, more than twice the number of current diabetics, are those estimated to have prediabetes. Updated guidelines 2022, with another updated expected in May 2023.
Prevention Priorities
Find the latest priorities for prevention. Rankings of preventive services and scoring each for cost effectiveness. The 3 highest-ranking services, each with a total score of 10, are immunizing children, counseling to prevent tobacco initiation among youth, and tobacco-use screening and brief intervention to encourage cessation among adults. Greatest population health improvement comes from using clinical preventive services to address tobacco use, obesity, alcohol misuse, colorectal cancer screening, and influenza vaccinations. HealthPartners Institute, working with the National Commission on Prevention Priorities (NCPP), sponsors this information. Last updated in 2017; published in the Annals of Family Medicine.
Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline: Dial or Text 988 Editor's Pick
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by dialing or texting 988. The new 988 three-digit dialing code routes callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. In addition to suicide prevention, the callers can use it as a crisis line for any mental health issue. The old number was toll-free 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK). There are over 200 crisis centers across the country, and you will be routed to the closest possible crisis center in your area. Special services for Veterans, Native Americans, LGBTQ+ and others. Updated July 16, 2022 by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Women: Checklist for Staying Healthy – all ages
A Checklist for Women Staying Healthy: Tips for Women of all ages. Find out what steps are recommended to stay healthy. Age groups include 18 to 39, 50 to 64 and age 65 and older. Includes list of screening tests and preventive medicine for women. From Baylor College of Medicine, Sept. 2019.
Other Helpful Listings
California – 2021-2022 HMO, PPO, & Medical Group Ratings Report Card Editor's Pick
Find California HMO, PPO and Medical Group ratings report card for 2021-2022. Kaiser Permanente HMO Plan of Southern California received the highest ratings for Quality. Sharp Health Plan HMO received the highest ratings for member satisfaction. Two plans got the lowest ratings (Poor, one-star) for member patient experience: Health Net Life PPO and United Healthcare PPO. Compare 16 largest California HMO health insurance plans: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross HMO, Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern CA regions, Sharp Health Plan, United Healthcare and Western Health Advantage. Compare 6 of the largest PPOs: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net Life Insurance Company, United Healthcare. Clear, simple star system (5 stars = excellent; 4 stars = very good; 3 stars = good, 2 stars = fair; 1 star = poor) used for overall rating. Actual performance scores are not given, but may be available through NCQA. Quality measures (based on HEDIS scores) for asthma, cancer screening, child health, chlamydia screening, diabetes, heart care, maternity care, behavioral and mental health, and other expected care. Member satisfaction stars also shown. Complaint rates are reported for health plans in a separate report. Nearly 200 Medical Group ratings also provided by county for the larger groups of doctors. For example, nearly 60 different Kaiser Permanente medical groups are included; Sutter, Scripps, Sharp and many more. Prepared by the California state Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA).
CDC Vaccine Contract Price List
The CDC Vaccine Contract Price List shows the vaccine cost for pediatric or adult vaccines (contract prices to CDC and private sector cost per dose). Vaccine prices for influenza, DTaP, Hepatitis A and B, Hib, HPV, Meningococcal, MMR, Pneumococcal, Rotavirus, Tetanus and Diphtheria, Varicella, and Zoster. Shows manufacturers Sanofi Pasteur, GSK Glaxo Smith Kline, Merck, Pfizer, Grifols, Seqirus USA, Dynavax, AstraZeneca. The most expensive is Pneumococcal 20-valent at $173 (CDC price) and $249 for private sector. The HPV – Human Papillomavirus 9-valent (Gardasil 9) is $159.773 (CDC contract price through June 2022), down almost 19% for a 3-month period), $253.60 per dose for private sector, up 6%. Updated April 1, 2022. Prices do not include doctor’s office visit cost.
County Health Rankings 2023 – All States Editor's Pick
County Health Rankings 2023 for all states, lets consumers compare your county’s health status to the rest of your state. It provides the latest results for smoking, obesity, alcohol use, flu vaccination rates, preventable hospital stays; primary care, dentist and mental health provider rates, percent uninsured (as of 2020), alcohol impaired driving deaths, severe housing problems, social associations, unemployment and much more. The data reflect available results up to 2020 or 2021; a few measures use 2022 data. COVID-19 deaths in 2020 (only) are included in the rankings. Very interesting information on health behaviors and health outcomes. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Univ. of WI Population Health Institute
Florida Health Insurance Plans – Quality Ratings & Satisfaction
Find Florida health insurance plans member satisfaction and quality ratings. Topics may vary from year to year. They usually include cancer screening, diabetes, prenatal care, well child care, children’s dental care, high blood pressure for HMOs, Medicare HMOs and Medicaid. Aetna, AvMed, Better Health, Capital, CIGNA, Clear Health Alliance, Community, Coventry, Florida Health Care, Freedom Health, Health First, Health Options, Humana, Molina, Neighborhood, Positive, Prestige, Simply, Staywell, Sunshine, United Healthcare, Children’s Medical Services and others. Search by county. Member satisfaction for Aetna, AvMed, Capital Health Plan HMO (highest member satisfaction), Cigna, Coventry, Florida Blue, Florida Health Care Plan, Golden Rule PPO (lowest member satisfaction), Health First, Humana, Molina, Neighborhood, Sunshine Health, United. Easy to read. Choose stars or actual scores / ratings. Member satisfaction is recent (2020) for Medicaid plans, but old (2017) for commercial health plans. FL reports from floridahealthfinder.gov.
Georgia Health Insurance Plan Ratings and Comparisons 2023
Find Georgia health insurance plan ratings and comparisons for 2023. Scroll to the bottom to find External Quality Review Organization (EQRO) which lets consumers read about performance of health plans in GA. Large report using HEDIS measures. Compare quality ratings and member satisfaction scores for Medicaid, Amerigroup, including 360 (Anthem); CareSource, Peach State Health Plan, and GA Families Statewide. Covers asthma care, cancer screening, immunizations, dental visits, ER visits, diabetes care, heart care, prenatal care, 7-day followup after mental health admission, member satisfaction (CAHPS) and more using 2021-2022 performance scores. Other reports are at this website that may have more information. Released in April 2023 by Georgia Dept. of Community Health at dch.georgia.gov
Maryland HMO & Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2020-2022
Find the latest Maryland HMO and PPO Health Insurance Plan Ratings. The only plan to get a full 5-star rating was Kaiser Permanente HMO. Compare KP with Aetna HMO and PPO, CareFirst BlueChoice and GHMSI, Cigna, MAMSI PPO, MD-IPA, Optimum Choice and United Healthcare HMO and PPO. Member satisfaction (CAHPS), getting appointments, flu shots, and many clinical measures of care such as Diabetes, breast cancer screening, behavioral health, well child care are some of the measures. Quality scores are 80% of the overall performance rating. Check Consumer Ratings, Clinical Ratings and Provider Network Ratings that make up the total score. Most scores reflect what happened in 2021. They were published in October 2022. Maryland Health Plan guide is by the Maryland Health Care Commission.
Memory Screening: Who Participates in Screening Events
Who comes to memory screening events? Read this research on participants who came to Memory Screening events in 2017 and 2018. Research conducted by UCSD – University of California San Diego. Published in Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, June 2020.
Minnesota, ND, SD, WI – Physician Clinic Ratings – HealthScores
Find HealthScores Physician Clinic Ratings in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. See one clinic at a time. Over 500 participating medical groups, hundreds of clinic locations and urgent care centers in MN; Fargo, Grand Forks, ND; Sioux Falls, SD and some WI communities for diabetes, knee replacement, vascular care, mental health (depression), cancer screening, controlling high blood pressure, heart (coronary artery) disease, asthma, vaccinations, appropriate care for children with colds and sore throats and more. Some clinics also have patient satisfaction scores. Medical groups include Allina, Altru, Apple Valley, Aspen, Avera, Brainerd, Children’s Physician Network, Dakota Clinic, Edina, Fairview, Fergus, Grand Itasca, Gundersen, HealthEast, HealthPartners, Lakewood, Mankato, Mayo Clinic, North Memorial, Northfield, Olmsted, Park Nicollet, Ridgeview, Sanford, St. Cloud CentraCare, St. Luke’s, St. Mary’s Duluth Clinic (Essentia), Stillwater, United, University of Minnesota, Winona Health Services, and more; OB-GYN clinics and Orthopedic clinics. Report by MN Community Measurement (founded by the MN Medical Association and seven non-profit health insurance plans). Annual data from 2021. Updated 2022. Very small font and no side-by-side comparisons make this less user-friendly than in the past.
MN Physician fees, office visit cost, lab test cost, more
Find how much physician office visits cost for over 100 professional services in Minnesota, ND, SD, WI through Minnesota HealthScores’ Cost Report feature. Click on tab “Average Cost of Procedure”. Compare costs paid over 200 participating medical groups and hospitals, and hundreds of clinic locations in Minnesota, and some border communities, for doctor office visits, eye care, lab tests, vasectomy, minor office surgical procedures such as ear wax removal, circumcision and skin lesion removal; immunization, psychotherapy and mental health visits, x-ray, MRI, acupuncture, physical therapy. Some Obstetric services, including colposcopy. Medical groups include Allina, Altru, Apple Valley, Aspen, Avera, Brainerd, Children’s Physician Network, Dakota Clinic, Edina, Fairview, Fergus, Grand Itasca, Gundersen, HealthEast, HealthPartners, Lakewood, Mankato, Mayo Clinic, MeritCare, Innovis, North Memorial, Northstar, Olmsted, Osceola, Park Nicollet, Regina, Ridgeview, Sanford, St. Cloud CentraCare, St. Luke’s, St. Mary’s Duluth Clinic, Stillwater, United, University of Minnesota, Winona Clinic, and more; OB-GYN clinics. Report by MN Community Measurement. Interactive easy-to-use format. Costs shown are claims through BCBS, Health Partners, Medica, and Preferred One in 2020, published in 2022. Theses costs are the amounts paid after discounts. Useful website, though tiny print.
New Jersey HMO and PPO Performance Report – Compare plans
Compare six New Jersey health insurance companies (HMO/POS and PPO/EPO health insurance plans). Performance reports from Aetna, AmeriHealth, CIGNA, Horizon, Oxford and United, on quality ratings related to asthma, COPD, cancer screening, heart care, hypertension, diabetes, new moms, immunizations, strep tests, mental health medication and followup; frequency of imaging tests for lower back pain, cardiac cath and tonsillectomies; well child care, more. Easy to read. 2018 report published by NJ Dept. of Banking and Insurance, June 2019. No updates as of mid-October 2022. However, recent enrollment in each health plan is provided through 2021. Quarterly enrollment reports available.
Prescription Drug Abuse and Medicine Misuse – Kids
Prescription drug abuse information relevant to teens and kids. Also known as a more modern term “Medicine Misuse.” Practical advice for parents who want to prevent problems of kids – teenagers and children – misusing prescription drugs. A growing problem addressed by the nonprofit organization Partnership to End Addiction, drugfree.org. July 2022.
Rhode Island – Top Ratings for Health Insurance Plans (NCQA)
Find top NCQA ratings for health insurance plans in Rhode Island. No plans earned the top 5.0 rating from NCQA this year. 2022-2023 Ratings. Based on Quality, Member Satisfaction and accreditation results. Five health plans earned 4.5 stars. Updated October 2022.
Texas – Guide to Texas HMO Quality 2020-2021 (OPIC)
The Guide to Texas HMO Quality 2020-2021 shows detailed clinical quality comparisons of HMO health insurance plans. Compare HMOs Aetna, Christus, Cigna, Community First, FIRSTCARE, HMO Blue Texas, Humana Health Plan, Memorial Hermann, Scott and White, and United Healthcare of Texas. Indicators include asthma, childhood immunizations, cancer screening, heart care, high blood pressure, diabetes care, prenatal care, behavioral health, mental illness care and followup, opioid prescriptions, flu shots, antibiotic utilization rates, rates of physician board certification, and more. Lengthy (226 pages) but valuable report. Published by TX Office of Public Insurance Council. No updates as of October 2022.
Utah HMO and PPO Health Insurance Plan 2022 Ratings
Get Utah HMO and PPO health insurance ratings for 2022. Includes commercial health insurance plans Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, SelectHealth, United Health Care; and Medicaid plans (Health Choice Utah, Healthy U, Molina, SelectHealth Community Care and CHIP Molina, CHIP SelectHealth) on on antidepressant medications, back pain, cancer screening, and high blood pressure; diabetes, prenatal & maternity, preventive care, well-child visits & immunizations, and more. Additional information for Medicaid plans on dental visits and mental health followup care. Shows actual performance rates. Quality Measures Performance Report uses 2020 data. By utah.gov Office of Healthcare Statistics, January 2022.
Virginia – Compare HMOs (Quality and Satisfaction)
Compare Virginia HMOs on both quality and member satisfaction. Easy to use tool to compare insurance plan ratings: Aetna, CareFirst BlueChoice, Coventry Health Care, HealthKeepers (both Peninsula and Priority), Innovation Health Plan, Kaiser Mid-Atlantic, Optima, Optimum Choice, United Healthcare MidAtlantic and River Valley. Choose measures for access, asthma, ADHD, cancer screening, heart, diabetes, immunizations, medications including opioid prescribing, mental health care (e.g., best results for 7-day follow-up after a Mental Health ER visit is Kaiser foundation Health Plan at 54%, compared to Optimum Choice at just 36%), preventive care, spirometry for COPD, prenatal, maternity and newborn care; weight assessment, well child visits and childhood illnesses, member satisfaction for 2020 and more. Also includes number of physicians, number of enrollees, and financial data. Updated February 2022.
Wisconsin Collaborative (WCHQ) – Compare Physician Group Ratings
Physician group ratings from the Wisconsin Collaborative (WCHQ). Compare Wisconsin doctor clinics on scores for behavioral health (Depression screening); diabetes, cancer screening (Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer & Colorectal Cancer); heart care, high blood pressure, tobacco use; HPV vaccine, pediatric vaccines, well child visits; Oral health and more. Includes Agnesian, Aspirus, Aurora; Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s, Wheaton, North Region & Fox Valley; Associated Physicians, Bellin, Beloit, Children’s Hospital of WI, Divine Savior, Mayo Clinic Eau Claire and Franciscan La Crosse, Fort Healthcare, Froedert, Gundersen Clinic, Marshfield Clinic, MercyHealth, Monroe, Prairie Clinic, Prevea, Primary Care Associates Appleton, ProHealth, Reedsburg, SSM Dean, Sauk Prairie, ThedaCare, Unity Point-Meriter, UW Health, and Wildwood. Some medical groups report scores by individual clinic location. The Sort-by-Result option helps you see better performers on the top of your list for some items. Bar chart reports; use the hover feature in order to see the actual performance scores. Reports by WI Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ); 2019 and 2020 data for most measures.
Health Conditions, Glossary and Specialty Reports
