We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We have several exciting updates to share with you.

We are Launching a New Campaign: 80% in Every Community!

While the 80% by 2018 campaign will come to a close on December 31st, our dedication to working toward our shared goal to reach a nationwide 80% colorectal cancer screening rate is as strong as ever. With input from our stakeholders over the past year, Dr. Richard Wender, NCCRT chair, unveiled the new campaign at the NCCRT Annual Meeting on November 15th. Beginning January 1st, 2019, our shared efforts to reach 80% will become “80% in Every Community.” The name reflects the work that still needs to be done to address persistent screening rate disparities in particular communities, such as racial/ethnic groups, ages 50-54, and rural populations.

What happens next? There is still much work to be done, but by early January we will share with you additional messaging and materials to provide you with the tools you need to embrace the new campaign. These will include a campaign description, logo, talking points, press materials, and more. Please watch for updates on www.nccrt.org and in future CRC News.

Last Call for Nominations for the 80% by 2018 National Achievement Awards!

It’s not too late! We are accepting nominations for the 2019 80% by 2018 National Achievement Awards through end of day Friday, November 30th. We welcome nominations of partners who have reached 80%, but we are also looking to recognize systems who are seeing noted improvements in baseline screening rates or recognize individual champions who have made a difference through leadership or other means. Visit www.nccrt.org/awards to learn about contest rules, prizes and recognition, and to submit your nomination. The top nominee will receive a $3,000 donation to support their efforts (see the website for details and exceptions).

Save the Date! Annual CRC Awareness Webcast on March 7th, 2019

The NCCRT, Fight Colorectal Cancer, American Cancer Society, Mayo Clinic, Exact Sciences, and UPS are once again planning to join together during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month with partners around the country to spread awareness about colorectal cancer, celebrate successes, and publicly launch our new 80% in Every Community campaign. This signature event and live broadcast will take place in Atlanta on March 7, 2019. Registration is not yet available, but watch CRC News for future updates, or visit this page to sign up to receive event updates.

HEDIS 2017 CRC Screening Rates Now Available

The NCQA recently released the annual State of Health Care Quality Report, which includes colorectal cancer screening rates in Medicare and commercial plans that voluntarily report clinical quality data. The report showed continued progress on colorectal cancer screening rates with Medicare plans in 2017. Commercial plan rates, on the other hand, did not change significantly. You can view the colorectal cancer screening HEDIS rate trends on the NCQA website and on NCCRT’s Data & Progress webpage.

We join NCQA in commending all the health plans that contributed data for this report and for the commitment to accountability and quality improvement they show by disclosing their performance.

Call for Nominations for the 2019 Cancer Prevention Laurel Awards

The NCCRT is pleased to join the Prevent Cancer Foundation as co-sponsors of their prestigious Laurel awards program. You are invited to nominate individuals whom you believe deserve this recognition. Awards will be made in these categories to recognize work in any area of cancer prevention or early detection:

• Cancer Prevention Laurel for National Leadership: Awarded to an individual who has shown exemplary leadership in cancer prevention or early detection at the national level in the U.S.
• Cancer Prevention Laurel for Increasing Health Equity: Awarded to an individual or organization for programs or innovations improving cancer prevention and screening in communities in the U.S. affected by health disparities.
• Cancer Prevention Laurel for Dedication to Community Service: Awarded to an individual who has demonstrated unwavering commitment to enhancing cancer prevention or early detection on the community level in the U.S.

You may make one or more nominations; however, you may nominate someone for only one award category and may make only one nomination per award category. Provide a letter for each nomination describing why the nominee should be recognized with a particular award and include a short biographical sketch (no CVs, please). Submit your nominations by COB on Monday, December 17, 2018. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Han at [email protected] or (703) 837-3682.

Additionally, please mark April 24-26, 2019 for the annual Dialogue for Action meeting. For more about the Laurels awards and the Dialogue, visit www.dialogueforaction.org.

New Publication on the 80% by 2018 Campaign

The American Journal of Gastroenterology recently released a new publication: “Creating and Implementing a National Public Health Campaign: The American Cancer Society’s and National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s 80% by 2018 Initiative.” The article provides an overview of the components, progress, and future directions of the 80% by 2018 effort.

Congratulations to article authors Richard Wender, Mary Doroshenk, Durado Brooks, James Hotz, and Robert Smith, and to the numerous contributors to this publication and the 80% by 2018 campaign overall.

2018 NCCRT Annual Meeting Presentations

We’re happy to report the 2018 NCCRT Annual Meeting of the NCCRT membership in Baltimore on November 14-16 was a tremendous success. Thank you to those of you that participated, and especially to those of you that presented on your work. PDFs of many of the presentations are now available on the NCCRT website. We also plan to share some of the panels and workshop sessions as webinars over the coming months. Lastly, thank you again to all our meeting sponsors for their generous support.