Preventive care is an important aspect in improving patient outcomes. Early detection of diseases such as breast cancer and management of diabetes can significantly improve a patient’s well-being and the number of treatment options that are available.
Penn Medicine measures the rate of breast cancer screenings and diabetes A1c control in an effort to continually improve patient outcomes.
Breast cancer screenings: How does Penn Medicine perform?
To be more transparent about how Penn Medicine is performing compared with health systems across the country, we will regularly share reports on breast cancer screenings at outpatient facilities.
The information below shows how Penn Medicine performed as a health system compared with the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Medicare PPO national average. For greater transparency, Penn Medicine is sharing data from the past three years. National benchmarks from HEDIS are available only through 2021. We will share more recent benchmarks when they become available.
Penn Medicine
Penn Medicine
Breast cancer screening 
Percentage of women age 50 to 74 who had at least one mammogram to screen for breast cancer in the past two years. A higher number is better.
Why is breast cancer screening important?
Breast cancer screenings can help catch and diagnose breast cancer in its early stages.
Early detection means that patients receive breast cancer care as quickly as possible. The chance of breast cancer survival is higher the earlier it is detected, therefore people who meet screening guidelines established by the American Cancer Society are prompted to receive preventive screening each year.
Diabetes A1c control: How does Penn Medicine perform?
Diabetes A1c Control information for Penn Medicine’s outpatient facilities is reported at the health system level. The information below shows how Penn Medicine performed compared with the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Medicare PPO national average. For greater transparency, Penn Medicine is sharing data from the past three years. National benchmarks from HEDIS are available only through 2021. We will share more recent benchmarks when they become available.
Penn Medicine
Penn Medicine
Diabetes A1c control
Percentage of adults age 18 to 75 with diabetes who had high hemoglobin A1c (greater than 9%). A lower number is better.
Why is diabetes A1c control testing important?
If it is not well controlled, diabetes can cause a number of complications including kidney disease, vision loss, heart attack, stroke, neuropathy, and complications like amputations.
It is important that patients regularly check their control levels with an A1c, which measures the past 3 months of diabetes control and to keep those numbers at control levels their providers recommend.