CHA Saw an Increase of 9% in Colorectal Cancer Screenings

by Keypher Bullock

In 2018, CHA saw an increase of 9% in colorectal cancer screenings, from 34% to 43%!!!

Several programs and events throughout the year have contributed to this increase. Through a grant from the American Cancer Society, we were able to send out reminder postcards to patients who were overdue for their screening. Public health interns then completed outreach phone calls to these patients to answer any questions, provide education, and assist with scheduling them an appointment.

Our Medical Assistants implemented a new reminder system to do a quick and easy check to see if patients are due for a screening which helped our medical providers make it a part of a regular medical visit.

Kudos to our own Cancer Prevention Care Coordinator for being our internal champion and mentor for our public health students!
Although these efforts were part of the CHA Colorectal Cancer Quality Improvement team’s work, CHA would not have been able to meet our goal of increasing our rates without everyone that was involved. We hope to continue our improvement on screenings for more success in 2019!

If you are 45 years or older and have not received screening for colorectal cancer, please call CHA at 775-329-6300 to schedule an appointment!