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How Can Employers Save More Lives From Colorectal Cancer?

This newly updated brief shares how employers can help advance the national effort to reach colorectal cancer screening rates of 80% and higher in adults ages 45 and older.

Ready to take your work to increase colorectal cancer screening in the workplace to the next level? Download the NCCRT’s 80% In Every Community Employer Challenge Guide for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide including tools, resources and messaging to effectively increasing timely, quality colorectal cancer screening in the workplace.

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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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NCCRT Blue Star Conversation- March 29, 2022

On March 29, 2022, the NCCRT’s Family History & Early-Age Onset CRC (EAOCRC) Strategic Priority Team hosted the NCCRT’s first Blue Star Conversation, a new interactive program for NCCRT members and CDC grantees. The inaugural conversation, What Proportion of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer is Potentially Preventable Based on Family History and Genetics?, featured Heather Hampel, MS, LGC, of City of Hope National Medical Center and co-chair of the Strategic Priority Team, who presented findings from the recent publication, A High Percentage of Early-age Onset Colorectal Cancer is Potentially Preventable, published in Gastroenterology. This recording features the expert speaker presentation portion of the program followed by a brief recap of the discussion section (the participant breakout discussions have been omitted).  

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

Following are key takeaways from the presentation: 

  • ACS guidelines could result in an earlier diagnosis for 41.3% of EAOCRC
  • Surveillance guidelines for patients with a First-Degree Relative (FDR) with CRC are more effective without an age requirement
  • Surveillance guidelines for hereditary CRC are more effective than those for FDR only
  • 4% (117/713) of EAOCRC is potentially preventable
  • 9-14% of EAOCRC patients have a FDR with CRC
  • 16% of EAOCRC patients have a mutation in a cancer susceptibility gene

Key takeaways from the breakout room discussions:

  • The importance of lead time messaging to target different age groups (20- 45 year old);
    • Social media strategies
    • Marketing tools
    • Educational materials
    • Sharing best practices
  • The importance of insurance coverage for earlier screening for patients with a family history of CRC
  • The possibility of family history of CRC becoming a reportable HEDIS measure
  • The need to increase genetic testing within rural areas
  • The development of blood-based testing as a screening mechanism for early-onset patients
  • How TeleVideo has bridged the accessibility for cancer genetic counseling

RELEVANT LINKS:

Below are relevant links referenced in the March 29th webinar:

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Download Age 45 with 2023 Caveat Resource

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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Webinar – What Do the Data Tell Us: What Can We Learn from the Latest Colorectal Cancer Screening Rate Trends Over Time? – November 3, 2021

This webinar provided a look at the latest data that informs how we are doing as a nation with our efforts to reach an 80% colorectal cancer screening rate. The webinar included a review of the key colorectal cancer screening data sets: BRFSS, NHIS, HEDIS, and UDS. Participants heard from experts as they gave an update on where we are progressing and where we still need to focus, to help inform your work ahead. 

Speakers:

  • Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, Director, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCCRT Steering Committee
  • Sepheen Byron, Assistant Vice President, Performance Measurement, National Committee for Quality Assurance
  • Neeraj Deshpande MBBS, MPH, MHA, Public Health Analyst, Quality Recognition and Health Promotion Team, Bureau of Primary Health Care/Office of Quality Improvement, DHHS/Health Resources and Services Administration
  • Stacey Fedewa, Senior Principal Scientist, Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society, Inc.

Note: Slides for three of the four presentations have been approved to share and can be downloaded through the button on this page. We will post the final deck and the replay to this page as soon as we receive approval to share all presentations.

Note: Data and data set measurement specifications were current as of November 3, 2021, but may become obsolete when changes are made in the future.

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2021 USPSTF Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendation Lowers Screening Age from 50 to 45: Implications for NCCRT Partners – June 7, 2021

On May 18, 2021, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a final Recommendation, Evidence Summary, and Modeling Study on screening for colorectal cancer. The primary difference from the previous 2016 recommendation is that average risk adults are now recommended to start screening at age 45, in alignment with the American Cancer Society’s 2018 recommendation.

During this NCCRT webinar, a panel of expert speakers discussed:

  • What changed in the new recommendation? And what data informed the decision to lower the screening age to 45?
  • How does the new recommendation impact insurance coverage and what is the timeline?
  • When will the new guideline be reflected in colorectal cancer screening quality measures and national screening rate indicators?
  • What data do we have on screening in 45-49 year olds and what do we know about them?
  • The experiences of one state (Indiana) that began implementing screening at age 45 statewide following legislation to lower the screening age in 2019.

Speakers:

  • Heather Dacus, DO, MPH; Director, Bureau of Cancer Prevention and Control, NYS Department of Health; NCCRT Policy Action Strategic Priority Team Co-chair (Moderator)
  • Robert Smith, PHD; Senior Vice President, Cancer Screening; American Cancer Society; NCCRT Co-chair
  • Anna Schwamlein Howard; Principal, Policy Development, Access to and Quality of Care; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
  • Sepheen Byron; Assistant Vice President of Performance Measurement, the National Committee for Quality Assurance 
  • Stacey Fedewa, PhD; Scientific Director, Screening and Risk Factors Surveillance; American Cancer Society
  • Bryan Hannon; Regional Government Relations Director; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
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What Can Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalitions
Do to Advance 80% in Every Community?

 

Comprehensive cancer control (CCC) programs and coalitions play a critical role in promoting colorectal cancer screening messages and activities in community settings across the United States. From educating coalition members to raising public awareness about colorectal cancer screening options, CCC programs and coalitions can support the national 80% in Every Community campaign and help make increasing colorectal cancer screening rates a leading public health priority.

This brief contains useful information and resources that will accelerate efforts to improve screening rates in your state, tribal organization, or territory.

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Improving Colorectal cancer Screening: Promising Practices for State Medicaid Agencies

This report follows up on a 2015 report commissioned by the NCCRT, Colorectal Cancer Initiatives in Medicaid Agencies—A National Review. That report broadly described the activities being undertaken by Medicaid programs in all 50 states, identifying ten states that had adopted more robust approaches to colorectal cancer screening.

To develop a deeper understanding of how these higher-performing states are approaching the challenges of colorectal cancer screening, follow-up research was conducted with several of the states (Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New York, and Oregon) that had progressed further on their efforts. 

Thus, this guide establishes nine practices that have shown sufficient promise to merit consideration by other state Medicaid agencies who wish to enhance their screening efforts for this important population.

The 9 promising practices described within this guide include: 

  1. Define a CRC Metric for State Medicaid Plans
  2. Support or Mandate Public Reporting of CRC Screening Rates
  3. Develop an Incentive Program/Value-Based Purchasing Measure for CRC
  4. Provide Education and Technical Support to Managed Care Organizations and Providers
  5. Collaborate with State Public Health Staff
  6. Work Closely with FQHCs that Serve Large Medicaid Populations
  7. Promote Evidence-Based Strategies and Interventions
  8. Facilitate Access by Covering Multiple Tests Without Cost-Sharing
  9. Promote Test Options to Overcome Compliance Barriers, Provider Shortages, Geographic Issues, and Logistical Constraints
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State-by-State Colorectal Cancer Screening Landscape

This resource, developed by Exact Sciences, provides a snapshot of the colorectal cancer screening landscape in each state while also putting into context how the different states compare with each other in a range of areas. While the majority of the information included is publicly available, it is difficult to find all this information in one place. This resource is intended to help people better understand what the CRC screening landscape – from coverage to screening rates to legislation – looks like in each state.

Evaluation: The last slide includes reference links for the included information. This involved considerable time and research across multiple websites and through research from Exact Sciences’ legal team.

Permissions: Made publicly available online by Exact Sciences.

Publication date: November 2019; updated August 2020

Post date: November 3, 2020

Contact: Submit comments, questions, and suggestions to Bryan Goettel: bgoettel@exactsciences.com.

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Reigniting Colorectal Cancer Screening as Communities Face and Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Playbook

This resource provides an action-oriented playbook to be adopted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to align NCCRT members, 80% pledged partners, and colorectal cancer screening advocates across the nation to work together to reignite our screening efforts appropriately, safely, and equally for all communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged efforts to address inadequate screening and inequities in colorectal cancer outcomes, hindering the progress toward our 80% in Every Community goals. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Cancer Society, made recommendations to delay all non-urgent procedures. Colonoscopies to detect colorectal cancer have been delayed or cancelled and patient fears about contracting COVID-19 have led to further reductions in screening. This drop has raised concern that COVID-19 related screening delays will lead to missed and advanced stage colorectal cancer diagnoses and to excess deaths from colorectal cancer. Moreover, this burden will likely not be evenly distributed as screening disparities may be exacerbated in communities and populations that are disadvantaged by both old and new challenges in the COVID-19 era.

The colorectal cancer fighting community stands prepared and well-positioned to respond to and overcome the difficult task ahead, and this document offers the latest (as of June 2020) data, research, and clinical guidelines available related to colorectal cancer screening and COVID-19. 

Aligning Statements include: 

  1. Despite the challenges we face during the pandemic, colorectal cancer remains a public health priority, and we must provide the public with safe opportunities to prevent and detect colorectal polyps and cancer.
  2. Colonoscopy remains safe, is a good option for screening, and is quickly reopening around the country, but identifying patients who should receive higher priority for colonoscopic screening is a critical step.
  3. During a time when availability of elective screening colonoscopy may be limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, colorectal cancer screening can be safely offered through at-home stool-based tests.
  4. Gaining momentum and reigniting screening activities and public messaging will be highly dependent upon local regulatory requirements, public health priorities, and policy change.

Throughout the pandemic, individuals have options to screen for colorectal cancer. There are many safe, effective, and evidence-based screening tests available, including colonoscopy and non-colonoscopy options (e.g., stool-based tests, stool-DNA tests, and CT colonography). In addition to the information included in the Playbook specific to stool-based testing and colonoscopy, CT colonography also serves as an important option for patients. Learn more in an editorial published in Abdominal Radiology (July 2020), “CT Colonography’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic: a safe(r), socially distanced total colon examination.” 

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals and organizations. Thank you to our authors Durado Brooks, Rachel Issaka, Steven Itzkowitz, Michael Sapienza, Ma Somsouk, Richard Wender, Caleb Levell, and Emily Bell. We also extend a special note of gratitude to our committed partners, NCCRT Steering Committee members, and subject matter experts that have contributed to both reviewing and advising on this document, but also for their participation in ongoing discussions aimed at uniting and guiding the colorectal cancer community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. And finally, we recognize the efforts of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to provide support, in-kind staff, and continued commitment in coordinating a national response to improving colorectal cancer screening rates during the COVID-19 era.