Your patients will listen to you. So, you should be talking about colonoscopies. Surveys show that 90 percent of people who reported a physician recommendation for colon cancer testing were screened versus 17 percent who did not get a provider’s advice.*
Here's what you can do
Check your records and reach out to patients who are due for a screening. If patients 50 years or older come in for a visit, check to see if they had a colorectal cancer screening. Talk to your patient about scheduling a colonoscopy and the benefits of getting it done.
If patients refuse, have a backup plan: Give them a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit. If you do not have FIT screening kits in your office, check with your lab or call 1-866-MYQUEST and request a supply.
We recently sent a reminder to ConnectiCare members who appear to be overdue for colorectal cancer screening. Together, we can help the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and the American Cancer Society reach their goal of an 80 percent screening rate by 2018!
*Source: Sarfaty M. How to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in practice: A primary care clinician's evidence-based toolbox and guide. 2008. Accessed at http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/documents/document/acspc-024588.pdf.
