Strategies and Opportunities to Stop Colon Cancer in Priority Populations

Only an estimated 50 million US adults aged 50-75 are up-to-date on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening according to guidelines set by the federal government. CRC is 90% curable with timely detection and appropriate treatment of precancerous polyps; increased screening could reduce incidence by up to 50%. Groups least likely to undergo screening, those with minimal education, low income, low access to health care, recent immigrants or Hispanics, are the same people who frequently receive care at Federally Qualified Healthcare Center's (FQHCs). The use of fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) and fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) is exceedingly low in FQHCs (7-9% of patients in the past year) and far below national averages and target rates. Our results will provide valuable information on how to use electronic health record (EHR) resources to optimize guideline-based screening in FQHC clinics whose patient populations have disproportionately low CRC screening rates. This project, in conjunction with the research team, will use an advisory panel to direct the research activities. The advisory panel will be made up of clinicians, leaders, researchers, and patients. The panel and team will guide the development of materials, the outreach to patients, and the research protocol to best reach FQHC patients who are due for colorectal cancer screening. This project will be conducted in two phases, Phase I is conducting a pilot at two FQHC's, and Phase II is rolling out the intervention to between 20-30 clinics.