Why is it important to measure the rate of appropriate use of cervical cancer screening?

Cervical cancer screening (known as a Pap test) should be done at appropriate time intervals. Since cervical cancer screening includes risks such as bleeding, pain, or infection, and could have an impact on future pregnancies, it should not be done more than needed. Unneeded screening also contributes to the high costs of health care.

How should doctors ensure that patients receive appropriate screening for cervical cancer?

You should speak with your doctor about your risk for cervical cancer and how often screening should be a part of your care. Your screening history and age will guide the discussion and the next steps in your care. People ages 21-64 should have a Pap test done every three years. People ages 30-64 who would like to be tested less may opt to have a Pap test in combination with an HPV screening every 5 years.

What do the stars mean?

The scores show how well each medical group did to ensure people ages 21-64 did not receive unnecessary cervical cancer screening. A higher score means patients were less likely to get unnecessary screening.

The scores are based on information from at least 30 medical group patient records in 2023.