Prevention

Prevention Overview
As the population of the United States grows older, keeping people healthy becomes increasingly important. With estimates that up to one-third of all deaths in the United States could be preventable through improved care, there is a definite need to increase regular health screenings that can reduce the risk for many chronic diseases.

The Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care's (IFQHC) work in the area of prevention seeks to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries while protecting the integrity of the Medicare Trust Fund. The goal in the area of prevention is to improve the quality and frequency of preventive health care services to optimize Medicare beneficiary quality of life. Prevention services emphasize evidence-based and cost-effective care, focused on preventing or slowing disease through effective and timely care including early testing. The core of IFQHC's prevention efforts build on previous work by utilizing electronic health record (EHR) systems to impact the rates among Medicare beneficiaries of mammography and colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings as well as influenza and pneumococcal immunizations.

IFQHC works with a select group of practices in Illinois. Practices enrolled must have already implemented an EHR system that has been certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). Collaborating practices will work with IFQHC to implement care management processes, using their certified EHRs, to improve their rates of breast cancer and CRC screening and influenza and pneumococcal vaccination and report their data to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

For further details about preventative care programs, contact the Prevention Team at 1-800-386-6431.