HEDIS® MY2021 Certification

HEDIS® MY2021 Certification

Applied Research Works, Inc. Cozeva has been certified for all HEDIS® MY2021 measures. Congratulations to the team for this impressive work!


 

HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

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Breast Cancer Screening saves lives

Breast Cancer Screening Saves Lives

Did you know?

  • “Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S.” (CDC) “More women are diagnosed with breast cancer than any other type of cancer, besides skin cancer” (Cancer.Net).
  • “An estimated 281,550 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 49,290 women will be diagnosed with non-invasive breast cancer in 2021” (Cancer.Net)
  • “Breast cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in women in the U.S. after lung cancer” (Cancer.Net).

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  • Whereas, white women are more likely to develop breast cancer than Black, Hispanic and Asian women, Black women are more likely to have more advanced-stage breast cancer and succumb to the disease. This difference in outcome could be due to inadequate access to mammography and low quality medical care in addition to other lifestyle issues (eating habits, BMI, etc.) that are more prevalent in some ethnic groups than others (Race/Ethnicity).
  • However, due to preventive screening and treatment options, more than 403,000 deaths were prevented between 1989 and 2018 resulting in a 41% decrease of death in women due to breast cancer (Cancer.Net).
  • Due to COVID-19, many healthcare centers delayed breast cancer screening (BCS) and diagnostic tests, including mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs, in many parts of the U.S. from March 2020 (COVID-19 Delayed BCS). Sadly, this adversely impacted the health outcomes of many patients who would have benefitted from early screening.

Cozeva can assist with breast cancer outreach campaigns to address gaps in preventive screenings

As a population health management tool, COZEVA allows plan administrators, provider organizations, and their practices to easily track their patients’ care opportunities

As a real-time metrics engine, COZEVA’s gap reports and powerful Analytics can better inform outreach efforts. With options to target patients by geographic area, by length of time from last screenings, or by available race, ethnicity or language data, these efforts can improve patient compliance and health outcomes during these times of uncertainty.


References:

Breast Cancer Statistics https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/statistics

Breast Cancer Statistics https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/index.htm

What is Breast Cancer Screening? https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/screening.htm

COVID-19 Pandemic Delayed Breast Cancer Screening in Many Parts of the United States https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/covid-19-delayed-screening-in-us

Race/Ethnicity https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/race_ethnicity

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/index.htm

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Health Literacy

Health Literacy

Illustration by GoodStudio on Shutterstock

Health Literacy: an Important Social Determinant of Health

Health literacy (HL), has been defined by the Health and Human Services (HHS) as the “degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process; and understand basic health information needed to make appropriate health decisions.” [1] Yet, HL is not solely based on a person’s individual abilities but also depends on the intricacy and complexity of healthcare systems as well as HL related demands. [2]

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) showed that almost 300 million Americans scored below proficient in health literacy. [3] A recent study conducted in 2020 concluded that only 21% of Americans are familiar with the term Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), even though these factors can drive up to 80% of health outcomes. [4] As the pandemic has helped expose the country’s inability to protect its vulnerable populations, it has also sped up the conversations around SDoH and launched initiatives to address them. However, these initiatives can only be taken so far if the majority of the population is unfamiliar with what they are trying to address. Increasing HL would advance SDoH efforts to another level as it would increase the accessibility and inclusivity to populations who cannot afford to be left out of the conversation.

What pathways have others established to increase Health Literacy?

Addressing health literacy is one of the most pressing issues of today – we constantly encounter significant barriers towards healthcare information and its accessibility regardless of an individual’s background, education, or literacy. So, what can be done?

Ryan Bosch, president and co-founder of Socially Determined, has highlighted 5 different components that could help promote HL. In his article for MedCity News, “The Key to SDOH: Health literacy”, Mr. Bosch shares that the first step is to determine a person’s or population’s ability to access information as this is a critical step in order to gauge baseline barriers and further understand literacy gaps. [5]

Another pathway to promoting HL is providing information in the form and content available to individuals based on cultural competence, plain language approaches and the use of new technologies. The Clear Communication initiative by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a set of resource pages designated to dispersing information in an accessible manner, using plain language, as well as a tool to assist science and increase public health communication.

What are some pathways that you have come across at your organization? How have you worked towards improving Health Literacy in your organization? What methods or pathways do you find are most effective?

We want to hear your input and create an engaging space to learn from each other! Email us at: info@cozeva.com

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