STRATEGIC PLAN - ASPE - U.S. Department of Health and Human ...

CHAPTER 3: Public Health Promotion and Protection, Disease Prevention,and Emergency Preparednesstheir medical history and how to stay healthy. Allbeneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part B with effectivedates that begin on or after January 1, 2005, will becovered for this benefit.The Welcome to Medicare visit enables the health careprovider to provide a comprehensive review of his orher patient’s health, to identify risk factors that maybe associated with various diseases, and to detectdiseases early when outcomes are best. The healthcare provider is also able to educate his or her patientabout the Medicare-covered services they need in orderto prevent, detect, and manage disease; to counselthem on identified risk factors and possible lifestylechanges that could have a positive impact on theirhealth; and to make referrals or followup appointmentsfor necessary care. CMS will continue to support andconduct outreach related to the Welcome to Medicarebenefit to increase beneficiaries’ utilization.Although Medicare pays for many critical preventivescreenings, fewer than 1 in 10 adults aged 65 orolder receive all recommended screenings andimmunizations. CDC’s Healthy Aging Program willcontinue to support a model program, SicknessPrevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration(SPARC), which has shown significant success inbroadening the use of preventive services. SPARCpromotes public access to services, helps medicalpractices provide preventive services, and strengthenslocal accountability for service delivery.AHRQ accomplishes adoption and delivery of evidencebasedclinical prevention services to improve thehealth of Americans through two main avenues: workin support of the United States Preventive ServicesTask Force (USPSTF) and Prevention Portfolio effortsaimed at dissemination and implementation of theTask Force’s recommendations. As the USPSTF makesevidence-based recommendations, it is the job ofAHRQ to get the word out to clinicians and the generalpublic as rapidly as possible. Accomplishing this goalmore quickly puts actionable information into thehands of clinicians, guiding them to perform indicatedservices and not to perform services for which theevidence indicates more harm than benefit. Getting theword out increases the delivery of appropriate clinicalpreventive services. Clinicians and policymakers acrossthe Nation hold the work of the USPSTF in high regard.Heart Disease and StrokeHeart disease and stroke are the most commoncardiovascular diseases. For both men and womenin the United States, heart disease and stroke are thefirst and third leading causes of death, respectively,accounting for nearly 40 percent of annual deaths. xxivAlthough these largely preventable conditions are morecommon among people 65 years or older, the numberof sudden deaths from heart disease among peopleaged 15 years to 24 years has increased. The economicimpact of cardiovascular disease on the Nation’s healthcare system continues to grow as the population ages.A key strategy for HHS in addressing heart diseaseand stroke and its risk factors is educating healthpractitioners and the public about the importanceof prevention, about the signs and symptoms ofheart attack and stroke, and about the importance ofcalling 911 quickly. To make women more aware ofthe danger of heart disease, the National Heart, Lung,and Blood Institute at NIH has collaborated withother organizations to sponsor a national campaigncalled The Heart Truth. The campaign’s goal is to raisewomen’s awareness about their risk of heart disease,and has resulted in striking improvements in women’sawareness of heart disease and their acknowledgmentof personal risk. CDC’s Heart Disease and StrokePrevention Program will continue to help States controlhigh blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, bothof which are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases,among residents; increase awareness of the signsand symptoms of heart attack and stroke; improveemergency response; improve quality of care; andeliminate health disparities. Medicare’s preventiveservices cover cardiovascular disease screenings.HHS will continue to provide national leadership toprevent death and disability from heart disease andstroke and to expand support to State cardiovasculardisease prevention efforts. FDA also contributes toprevention of heart disease through its food labelingHHS Strategic Plan FY 2007-201269