Changing Health Systems Using Evidence-based interventions to increase Colorectal Cancer Screening

This announcement funds recipients who will partner with health systems and primary care clinics with low colorectal cancer (CRC) screening prevalence. Recipients will work with their partners to use evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to increase screening in people aged 45 to 75 years old. The focus is on populations that have low screening prevalence and experience barriers to screening. Partner clinics must have screening prevalence below the national, regional, or local average. Programs should emphasize identifying populations that have lower screening prevalence or clinic sub-populations who may need more support to complete the screening process. To implement the program recipients will do all the following: Establish partnerships with health systems and primary care clinics to implement at least three multicomponent EBIs recommended in The Community Guide. These EBIs must focus on different areas of the clinical system (such as increasing demand, increasing access, and increasing delivery of screening recommendations). Establish partnerships with organizations that support implementing EBIs, improving data collection, and enhancing use of electronic health records (EHRs) in primary care clinics to increase CRC screening. Conduct a formal readiness assessment of each partner clinic’s capacity to implement EBIs. Use this assessment to select EBIs that will support improved CRC screening. Make sure clinics have a CRC screening champion in the clinic. Use a limited amount of funding to pay for stool-based testing in partner clinics and to ensure follow-up colonoscopies occur after a positive or abnormal screening test, as a payor of last resort. Submit high-quality, clinic-level data, including baseline and annual CRC screening prevalence, aggregate data on stool-based tests provided to and returned by patients, and aggregate data on follow-up colonoscopies including those supported by the program. Make sure health systems and clinics develop the capacity to collect data and track the entire CRC screening process patients undergo. Submit one success story every six months. Plan and complete an evaluation of program activities and submit an annual evaluation report.