Common Keyword: Clinical tools

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ACS NCCRT Blue Star Conversation – September 11, 2023

This Blue Star Conversation features a brief presentation by Daniel Reuland, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine; and  Program Director, Carolina Cancer Screening Initiative, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, on a recent study: Uptake of colorectal cancer screening after mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach in a newly eligible 45-49-year-old community health center population. Speakers will also provide updates on trends in colorectal cancer screening in community health centers and recently released resources to support health center work to increase CRC screening, including the Steps For Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates: A Manual For Primary Care Practices. This program was hosted by the ACS NCCRT Community Health Center Strategic Priority Team. Afterwards, participants discussed greatest barriers and solutions to increasing CRC screening in the newly eligible population. 

Visit NCCRT’s Events & Webinars page to find information about upcoming programs and events.

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Steps for Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates: A Manual for Primary Care Practices

Colorectal cancer screening saves lives, yet more than 1 in 3 adults ages 45 and older is not getting screened as recommended.

Through a step-by-step format, this newly updated manual provides evidence-based, expert-endorsed strategies to improve colorectal cancer screening rates in primary care practices. The 2022 edition includes:

  • An expanded scope to include all primary care settings
  • Current screening guidelines and new screening modalities
  • Expert-endorsed strategies
  • Samples, templates, and tools
  • Updated literature references
  • NEW! Added exemplary case studies

Learn More

Background and Goals

The first edition, published in 2014, was one of the NCCRT’s most popular resources and has been instrumental in helping primary care practices throughout the United States achieve improvements in their colorectal cancer screening rates.  

The goal of this manual is to offer evidence-based, expert-endorsed recommendations for planning and implementing strategies in primary care practices to improve colorectal cancer screening rates. This manual provides a succinct step-by-step guide for primary care teams to improve colorectal cancer screening and outcomes in practice. These simple steps will assist teams to effectively:

  • Agree on and implement an office screening strategy
  • Provide education on appropriate and high-quality screening
  • Help patients to complete timely, recommended screening
  • Track follow-up of screening and results
  • Build networks among primary care, specialty care, and health systems
  • Provide examples of workflows from successful programs

View the NCCRT’s July 25, 2022 Steps Guide update webinar recording and slide set for an introduction to the new edition and testimonials from two primary care clinician champions on how the manual can be used to transform colorectal cancer screening delivery.  

Acknowledgement

The NCCRT would like to thank the numerous people who generously offered their time and expertise to the development of this updated second edition.

NCCRT is especially grateful to the advisory committee, who generously offered their time and expertise to develop this guidebook’s research and content, to HealthEfficient for serving as the lead author on this second edition, and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their support.

See the Acknowledgements section on page two of the Steps Guide for a comprehensive list of the many contributors.

This publication was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $825,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.


Spread The Word

Sample Facebook & LinkedIn Posts

Colorectal cancer screening is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Utilize the strategies in our Steps Guide to help increase screening rates in patients, and reference the newly added Case Studies to see their impact. https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide #80inEveryCommunity

Primary care clinicians’ use of our Steps Guide can help increase colorectal cancer screening rates in patients. We’re excited to include newly added case studies give insight into the effectiveness of strategies, all to meet the goal of #80inEveryCommunity. Read more: https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide  

Timely colorectal cancer screening is more important than ever now that major guidelines recommend screening start at age 45. The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s newly updated Steps Guide provides a succinct step-by-step guide for primary care teams to improve colorectal cancer screening and outcomes in practice. https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide

Colorectal cancer screening saves lives. Learn how you can increase screening rates in primary care with the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s newly updated Steps Guide: https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide

The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 24 for men and 1 in 25 for women, yet nearly 1 in 3 adults ages 50 and older is not getting screened as recommended. The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s newly updated Steps Guide is your one-stop-shop for strategies to increase colorectal cancer screening in your practice. Get started now at https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide

Only 72% of adults aged 50 and older are up to date with potentially life-saving colorectal cancer screening. Download the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s newly updated Steps Guide to find evidence-based, expert-endorsed strategies to improve colorectal cancer screening rates. https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide

Sample Tweets

Colorectal cancer screening is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Utilize the strategies in our Steps Guide to help increase screening rates in patients, and reference the newly added Case Studies to see their impact. https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide #80inEveryCommunity

Primary care clinicians’ use of our Steps Guide can help increase colorectal cancer screening rates in patients. We’re excited to include newly added case studies give insight into the effectiveness of strategies, all to meet the goal of #80inEveryCommunity. Read more: https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide  

The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 24 for men and 1 in 25 for women. The new @NCCRTnews Steps Guide is your one-stop-shop for strategies to increase #CRC screening. https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide #80inEveryCommunity #GetScreened

Colorectal cancer screening saves lives. Learn how you can increase screening rates in your practice with the new @NCCRTnews Steps Guide: https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide #80inEveryCommunity #GetScreened

Major guidelines recommend people at average risk start colorectal cancer screening at age 45. Download the new @NCCRTnews Steps Guide for a succinct step-by-step guide to increase #CRC screening in primary care. https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide #80inEveryCommunity #GetScreened

Only 72% of adults aged 50+ are up to date with potentially life-saving colorectal cancer screening. Download the @NCCRTnews Steps Guide for evidence-based, expert-endorsed recommendations to improve #CRC screening rates. https://nccrt.org/StepsGuide #80inEveryCommunity #GetScreened

Template Newsletter Blurbs

Brief version:

The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s newly released Steps Guide (www.nccrt.org/StepsGuide) provides evidence-based, expert-endorsed strategies to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in primary care. This 2023 edition offers a much-anticipated update to the signature NCCRT resource that has been instrumental in helping primary care practices throughout the United States achieve improvements in delivering potentially life-saving colorectal cancer screening in the communities they serve.

Extended version:

A primary care clinician recommendation is the most powerful influence on a patient’s decision to get screened for cancer. Download the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s 2023 edition of the Steps for Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates: A Manual for Primary Care Practices (www.nccrt.org/StepsGuide) to find evidence-based, expert-endorsed strategies to improve colorectal cancer screening rates in primary care. 

This 2023 version provides a much-anticipated update to the signature NCCRT resource that has been instrumental in helping primary care practices throughout the United States achieve improvements in delivering potentially life-saving colorectal cancer screening in the communities they serve as well as ten exemplary case studies. Timely colorectal cancer screening is more important than ever now that major guidelines recommend screening for people at average risk start at age 45. 

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Blue Star Conversations – May 17, 2023

On May 17th, 2023, the NCCRT’s NCCRT Professional Education & Practice Implementation (PEPI) Strategic Priority Team hosted the latest Blue Star Conversation, an interactive program for NCCRT members and CDC grantees. The latest session highlighted a short presentation by Elizabeth Ciemins, PhD, MPH, MA, Vice President of Research and Analytics at AMGA (American Medical Group Association), on rates of follow-up colonoscopy after a positive stool-based screening test from the recent Jama New Open publication, Rates of Follow-up Colonoscopy After a Positive Stool-Based Screening Test Result for Colorectal Cancer Among Health Care Organizations in the US, 2017-2020. Afterwards, participants discussed potential opportunities and challenges to overcome barriers affecting follow-up colonoscopy. 

Visit NCCRT’s Events & Webinars page to find information about upcoming programs and events.

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Field Strategies To Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening And Promote Colorectal Cancer Health Equity In Communities Across The US – January 24, 2023

This webinar was a repeat of one of our most highly rated concurrent sessions from the NCCRT 2022 Annual Meeting. The purpose of the webinar was to offer fresh ideas and strategies by learning from three community-facing health systems that are utilizing various tools to establish, implement, and advance colorectal cancer screening interventions that are tailored for the populations they serve. 

Speakers:

  • Moderator: Annie Thibault, Director, Colorectal Cancer Prevention Network
  • Tiffany Taylor, MBA, FACHE, Ambulatory Administrative Director, Department of Family Medicine, Charleston Area Medical Center
  • Einas Batarseh, MD, MPH, Chief Resident Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine – PGY 4, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York
  • Koosh Desai, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Curriculum Director, SWGA Campus, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University
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Mailed FIT Implementation Guide

The Mailed FIT Implementation Guide and the Mailed FIT Online Course have been developed to help improve colorectal cancer screening rates in diverse healthcare settings.

The Mailed FIT Implementation Guide provides a roadmap for how health systems and other health entities can design and carry out mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach programs. The Guide was created by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) in partnership with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (KPCHR) and with the support of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).

The goal of the Mailed FIT Implementation Guide is to provide administrators and staff with the information needed to make informed decisions and successfully implement an outreach program. The Guide details the process for planning and implementing a mailed FIT outreach program by addressing the following process steps: Prerequisites (Key Partnerships, Capacity, Technical Resources), Getting Ready, Selecting a FIT Kit, Executing a Mailed FIT Outreach Program, Following Up on Abnormal Test Results, and Sustaining the Program. Two chapters containing Resources and References are also included.

The Mailed FIT Online Course is the newest resource and was developed based on the components of the Mailed FIT Implementation Guide. The course is a free, self-paced online program for busy health professionals that provides easy-to-access information in video format. Ten videos narrated by subject matter experts from around the nation cover all components of a mailed FIT outreach program. Three testimonial videos from experienced clinics describe their tips and strategies for implementing a successful mailed FIT outreach program. Finally, a helpful companion notebook for the course gives step-by-step activities and checklists for gathering and organizing the information needed to establish an outreach program. The Mailed FIT Online Course was created by NACDD in partnership with KPCHR and with the support of the CDC.

Evaluation: The evidence provided in the Mailed FIT Implementation Guide and subsequently created Mailed FIT Online Course was based on two primary sources. The first source was the five-year STOP CRC trial of mailed FIT outreach programs in 26 federally qualified health centers in Oregon and California (2013-2018). The trial investigated whether the use of mailed FIT outreach programs with follow-up colonoscopy for abnormal FIT results could increase CRC screening rates above the rates obtained with usual care opportunistic screening. The findings showed a significant improvement in CRC screening rates and an overall FIT return rate of 21%. The second source of evidence was the 2019 Mailed FIT Summit, which was sponsored by the CDC and hosted by the NACDD. The Summit participants included subject matter experts and stakeholders from across the nation. An accompanying journal article published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians described the Summit’s goals, process, and findings in detail.

Permissions: Made publicly available online by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.

Publication date: Guide published October 2021, last revised June 14, 2022; Online Course published March 2023. 

Post date: August 22, 2022, updated August 2023. 

Contact: Please send comments or questions to Lorrie Graaf (lgraaf_ic@chronicdisease.org) or Dawn Wiatrek (dwiatrek_ic@chronicdisease.org).

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Webinar – 2022 NCCRT Steps Guide Update – July 25, 2022

This webinar provided an introduction to the 2022 Steps for Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates: A Manual for Primary Care Practices, an updated second edition to the first edition that was originally published in 2014. The 2022 edition includes the following updates:

  • An expanded scope to include all primary care settings
  • Current screening guidelines and new screening modalities
  • 10 case studies of exemplary practice sites
  • Updated literature references

The first edition was one of the NCCRT’s most popular resources and has been instrumental in helping primary care practices throughout the United States achieve improvements in their colorectal cancer screening rates.  The 2022 edition will be released in August 2022. 

Speakers:

  • Laura Makaroff, DO, Senior Vice President, Prevention and Early Detection, American Cancer Society
  • Keith Winfrey, MD, MPH, FACP, Chief Medical Officer, New Orleans East Louisiana Community Health Center
  • Michelle Tropper, MPH, Director of Clinical Programs, HealthEfficient
  • Frank Colangelo, MD, MS-HQS, FACP, Chief Quality Officer, Premier Medical Associates
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How Can Women’s Health Providers Save More Lives from Colorectal Cancer?

This newly updated brief shares how women’s health providers can help advance the shared goal to reach colorectal cancer screening rates of 80% and higher in adults ages 45 and older.

NCCRT would like to thank the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for supporting the development of this resource, and for their longtime commitment to advancing colorectal cancer screening as an NCCRT member. 

 

 

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The Dos and Don’ts of Colorectal Cancer Screening

This newly updated one-page flyer may be used to remind clinicians about some of the dos and don’ts when it comes to colorectal cancer screening. Partners have the option to cobrand the flyer with their organization’s logo. Contact your local American Cancer Society to learn more.

The flyer was updated in March 2022 to reflect the colorectal cancer screening starting age of 45 for average risk patients. Partners have the option to use one of two versions in 2022:

  • Age 45: This version references the starting age of 45 with no caveats (for health systems and health plans that are already covering screening at age 45 for all patients). 
  • Age 45 with 2023 caveat: This version references the starting age of 45 and includes an asterisk that explains that some health plans will not be required to follow the May 2021 USPSTF recommendation that lowered the age from 50 to 45 until 2023 (for health systems and health plans serving patients that may not yet have coverage for screening at age 45). 
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NCCRT Learning Center

The NCCRT Learning Center is a digital learning platform which features courses, tools, and other resources on colorectal cancer screening delivery and research. Current educational offerings include:

  • The Colonoscopy Needs Calculator—This tool estimates the number of colonoscopies your practice can realistically anticipate with a high-quality stool-based colorectal cancer screening program based on various screening rate goals and other data inputs. It also provides an estimation of what the total colonoscopy need would cost a system as well as a comparison between the costs of treating cancer and costs of providing colonoscopies.
  • The Communications Education Portal—This course houses our suite of market research findings on the unscreened for colorectal cancer and messaging recommendations to more effectively develop communication campaigns and resources for unscreened populations. Learners can peruse the market research findings from start to finish or jump in to find just what you need to educate, empower, and mobilize those who are not getting screened for colorectal cancer.

We plan to populate the NCCRT Learning Center with additional tools and learning modules over time. Users can create an account to track your progress, learn when new content is released, and access more courses as they become available.

 

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The Colonoscopy Needs Calculator

This tool estimates the number of colonoscopies your practice can realistically anticipate with a high-quality stool-based colorectal cancer screening program based on various screening rate goals and other data inputs. It also provides an estimation of what the total colonoscopy need would cost a system as well as a comparison between the costs of treating cancer and costs of providing colonoscopies.

Users have the option to create an account to track your progress and update data over time.