Data Tracker

Communicable diseases are illnesses that can be spread from human to human or animal to human. The goal of this tracker is to provide insight into recent weekly and geographic trends in several common communicable diseases.

While some illnesses are transmitted by exposures to pathogens in the air or on surfaces, others are transmitted when an infected insect, like a mosquito or a tick, bites someone and exposes them to the pathogen that makes them sick. These are called vector-borne illnesses and often occur more frequently in the warmer summer months, but in recent years have been increasing year-round, likely due to changes in the climate. The goal of this tracker is to provide insight into recent weekly and geographic trends in several vector-borne illnesses. 

Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used screening measure to categorize weight status in adults and children. Population-level BMI distributions have shifted substantially over recent decades. The goal of this tracker is to provide insight into how the distribution of BMI categories across the population continues to change.

GLP-1s are a class of medications originally approved for type 2 diabetes management that have seen dramatic growth in prescribing following expanded approvals for chronic weight management. Their uptake has varied across patient populations, raising questions about evolving clinical practice. The goal of this tracker is to provide insight into recent trends in GLP-1 prescribing rates.

Tests for opiate toxicology do not detect synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, and so fentanyl must be tested separately. Fentanyl-related overdoses have risen in the U.S., and often, patients may not know they are ingesting fentanyl as many substances sold as other drugs have been found to contain fentanyl. Toxicology screenings for overdose patients in the ED can provide opportunities for treatment, patient education, and additional data for public health to inform prevention and treatment options for trends in substance use. 

While telemedicine has been around for decades, many organizations did not widely adopt tools and mechanisms to provide healthcare services remotely until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Following the exponential rise in telehealth usage in early 2020, as organizations returned to in-person, non-emergent care, telehealth utilization began to decrease and has since settled into a more consistent rate, although differences by specialty remain. This tracker aims to provide insight into ongoing trends in the utilization of telehealth.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer affects one in three Americans in their lifetime. We aimed to trend how cancer screenings and diagnoses have changed over time, and how they were influenced by the pandemic. Our data tracker shows the quarterly rates of overall and advanced cancer diagnoses over the past five years to understand overall trends in cancer, including breakdowns for specific cancer types.