Giving Lab Tests for People Taking Medications for a Long Time
2023-24 Edition
Why are lab tests important if you are taking medications for a long time?
If you have been taking the same medications for a long time, you are at higher risk of harmful side effects or other problems from your medications. It is important for doctors to do regular lab tests to make sure your medications are not causing problems.
What should doctors test for if you are taking medications for a long time?
Your doctor should check to make sure there are no harmful side effects or problems due to taking long-term medications. Doctors should test your blood to check the drug levels in your body and to make sure that your medications are not causing any problems. Long-term drugs include medicines to help with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and mental health.
What do the stars mean?
The scores show how well each health plan did at making sure that patients who were prescribed medications long-term were tested to check that the ongoing use of the drug was not harming them. The higher score means more patients got the right care at the right time.
The scores are based on information from at least 30 health plan member administrative records in 2021.
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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).
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