October 2021
According to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), in the last 10 years, there has been a 174% increase in reported cases of infectious syphilis, a 176% increase in reported cases of gonorrhea, and a 9% increase in reported cases of chlamydia in Rhode Island.
Neighborhood tracks the rate of screening for Chlamydia among our members using the Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set (HEDIS) measure Chlamydia Screening among Women Ages 16-24 Years, which is based on annual screening among sexually active women.
- For Measurement Year 2020, the Chlamydia screening rate for our Medicaid members stood at 63.19% compared to Measurement Year 2019 rate of 68.85 and Measurement Year 2018 rate of 68.58.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just released updated Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Treatment Guidelines, 2021 which make some key changes to current clinical practices. These include updated treatment recommendations for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis mycoplasma genitalium, trichomoniasis, and pelvic inflammatory disease.
- As a reminder, please make sure to take a sexual history and screen appropriate patients for STIs. This includes testing everyone at least once for HIV, young women for gonorrhea and chlamydia, and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men routinely for HIV and other STIs.
Neighborhood is providing this update in collaboration with the RIDOH to educate medical providers and make them aware of new practice guidelines. Thank you for your commitment to improving the sexual health and wellness of people in Rhode Island.
More Information
- Additional information and resources regarding STIs on RIDOH’s website at https://health.ri.gov/diseases/sexuallytransmitted/for/providers/.
- The full CDC STI Treatment Guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/default.htm
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