Health and cost-benefits of chlamydia screening in young women.
BACKGROUND
The Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is a set of performance measures used to assess the quality of care delivered in managed care plans. New measures that address unevaluated areas of care are continuously being developed. Chlamydia screening among young women is one new measure that was recently adopted by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for inclusion in HEDIS. An essential criterion for new measures is that the clinical intervention is beneficial to health and cost-effective.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of chlamydia screening among young women.


METHODS
A focused review of the literature was performed using Medline. Articles addressing the epidemiology of chlamydia infection, its health consequences, and the benefits, problems, and cost-effectiveness associated with chlamydia screening are reviewed.


RESULTS
The literature reviewed shows scientific and cost-effectiveness data that support the adoption of the HEDIS measure for chlamydia screening among young women.


CONCLUSIONS
The National Committee for Quality Assurance's recent adoption of the measure for chlamydia screening among young women into the formal HEDIS measurement set is justifiable from a health benefit standpoint and from a cost-effectiveness standpoint.
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Los Angeles 90095-1752, USA. ritams@ucla.edu
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Mangione-Smith
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J
O'Leary
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EA
McGlynn
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*