Skip Navigation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services www.hhs.gov/
Agency for Healthcare Research Quality www.ahrq.gov
www.ahrq.gov/

Evaluation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Clinical Preventive Services

Final Report


To improve its services continuously, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) evaluates its programs to examine the performance of those programs in achieving their objectives. An important part of the HHS evaluation function is communicating the findings and recommendations of the evaluation studies.

This report evaluates a program of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). It was prepared by NORC at the University of Chicago under Contract No. HHSP23320045020XI.

To download the print version, select the PDF File, 1.42 MB. Plugin Software Help.


Prepared by Alycia Infante, M.P.A.; Michael Meit, M.A., M.P.H.; Tom Briggs; Caitlin Opperheimer, M.P.H.; and Jennifer Benz.

Contents

Acknowledgements
Executive Summary
I. Introduction
   Importance of the Current Study
   Structure of the Report
II. Study Methods
   Evaluation Design
III. Background
   Review of the Literature on the USPSTF and Clinical Preventive Services
IV. Findings
   Adoption of the USPSTF Recommendations in Health Plans
   Integration and Delivery of the USPSTF Recommendations in Health Plans
   Improving Dissemination of the USPSTF Recommendations in Health Plans
V. Thematic Overviews
   The Impact of Pay-for-Performance on the Delivery of the USPSTF Recommendations
   The Role of Health IT in the Integration and Delivery of the USPSTF Recommendations
   Systems-Level Changes to Encourage the Delivery of the USPSTF Recommendations
   Delivering the USPSTF Recommendations in a Rural Health Care Setting
   The Impact of Health Plan Structures on the Delivery and Integration of the USPSTF Recommendations
VI. Conclusion
   Lessons Learned
   Next Steps for AHRQ
   Key Issues for Future Study
Endnotes
Appendix: Interview Protocols

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract Number HHSP23320045020XI, Task Order Number 05R000179. Michael Meit serves as the Project Director for the Evaluation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Clinical Preventive Services. Contributing authors to this report were Alycia Infante, Tom Briggs, Caitlin Oppenheimer, and Jennifer Benz. Thanks and appreciation are due to the following people for their skilled research assistance, comments, and project support: Elizabeth Hargrave, Prashila Dullabh, Julie Schoenman, Curt Mueller, Alene Kennedy, Kate Locke, Bhumika Piya, and Jessica Bushar. We would like to acknowledge the important contributions of the AHRQ project team, Janice Genevro, Claire Kendrick, Therese Miller, and Tricia Trinité, as well as David Introcaso. Most importantly, we are grateful to the participating health plan staff that provided us with the information essential to the evaluation through interviews, reports, and numerous informal conversations.

For more information about this evaluation, please contact Michael Meit directly at (301) 951-5076 or meit-michael@norc.org.

Return to Contents

AHRQ Publication No. 08-M011-EF
Current as of December 2007


Internet Citation:

Evaluation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Clinical Preventive Services Final Report. AHRQ Publication No. 08-M011-EF, December 2007, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/about/evaluations/uspstf/


 

AHRQAdvancing Excellence in Health Care