Next step in updating the Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines

Next step in updating the Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines

March 1, 2016

By: Jim Macrae, Acting Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Prevention is vital to the well-being of women across this country, and is a key component of the Affordable Care Act.  Developing a set of preventive health service guidelines that takes into account the unique preventive health needs of women throughout every stage of life is an essential activity for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

In 2011, HRSA worked with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly known as the Institutes of Medicine (IOM)) to develop the initial Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines (www.hrsa.gov/womensguidelines). Established with the aim of improving women’s health across the lifespan, these guidelines on preventive health screenings and services guide clinicians in determining which services they should routinely offer to their patients, and also now serve as the basis for insurance coverage at no cost-sharing to the patient.
IOM recommended reviewing and updating the guidelines at least every five years.  To support that goal, today, after a competitive process, HRSA awarded approximately $950,000 in funding per year for a five-year cooperative agreement with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)to develop a collaborative coalition process to review and recommend updates to the current HRSA-supported Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines. 

READ MORE: Next step in updating the Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines