Checking if Weight Could Cause Health Problems
2019-20 Edition
One out of every three adults is overweight in the United States. Obesity can lead to many physical and social problems including depression, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Being overweight or obese is preventable and treatable.
How should doctors check patients’ weight for health problems?
Doctors should determine your “body mass index” or BMI. A BMI is one way to measure your body fat. It is calculated based on your height and weight. Your doctor should use your BMI as a starting point to help you establish a plan to eat more fruits and vegetables and be physically active.
Talk with your doctor and health plan to find out what other services are available to help you eat healthy, keep active and maintain a healthy weight. Many health plans offer programs and education to support more healthy lifestyle changes. These additional services may be educational materials (online and in print), classes or support groups, or phone counseling. Some health plans offer weight management programs. And others offer discounts to health clubs.
What do the stars mean?
The scores show how successful each health plan was at making sure that patients had their body mass index (BMI) checked using their height and weight, when they had a doctor visit during the past two years. The higher score means more patients got the right care at the right time.
The scores are based on information from at least 30 PPO member administrative records in 2015. Some plans also use patient medical records which are often more complete and result in higher scores. Plans that decide not to use medical records are likely to have lower scores.
Data Disclaimer
 
The data source for data for the Report Cards is Quality Compass® 2023 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass® 2023 includes Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) and Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) data. Any data display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors. NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion. Quality Compass and HEDIS are registered trademarks of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Users of the data shall not have the right to alter, enhance, or otherwise modify the data. Anyone who wants to use or reproduce the data without modification for a noncommercial purpose may do so without obtaining any approval from NCQA. All commercial uses must be approved by NCQA and are subject to a license at the discretion of NCQA. Use by healthcare providers in connection with their own practices is not commercial use. A "commercial use" refers to any sale, license, or distribution of the data for commercial gain, or incorporation of the data into any product or service that is sold, licensed, or distributed for commercial gain, even if there is no actual charge for inclusion of the data. ©2004-2023 National Committee for Quality Assurance, all rights reserved.
Why isn't my health plan listed?
Related links
311.110/311.210