July 20, 2017
Chlamydia Screening in Women (CHL) continues to be a challenging quality measure for many providers to address. This National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) measure requires screening all sexually active 16- to 24-year-old females for chlamydia to prevent pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
As you care for patients during check-ups and sports physicals this summer, here are three useful tips to improve care and your clinic's performance on this measure:
- Testing is easy. A dirty catch urine sample is all that you need.
- Setting patient expectations is best. When prescribing or refilling birth control pills, talk to patients about the national screening standard for women ages 16-24. This helps focus the requirement at the population level rather than suggesting something about the patient.
- Make it a protocol. Many clinics that perform well on this measure implement a practice protocol. These clinics ask all female patients ages 16-24 to give an annual urine sample, with the option to opt out of testing via a signed consent form.
For more information and tools to make screening and treating for chlamydia a routine part of your practice, check out Why Screen for Chlamydia? An Implementation Guide for Healthcare Providers published by the American Sexual Health Association and the National Chlamydia Coalition.