Breast Cancer Screening is a Priority in Colorado

The Colorado Cancer Plan outlines cancer screening as a high priority for the state. Stakeholders across the state are working to improve the screening rates in women 50+ from 72.4% to 81.1% by 2020. And in women 40-49 from 57.6% to 63.4%.

Strategies:

• Educate primary care providers on the importance of a provider recommendation and adhering to nationally recognized, evidence based cancer screening guidelines such as the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Radiology (ACR).
• Promote informed decision-making at both the provider and individual level regarding breast cancer screening guidelines. Discussions should include the advantages and disadvantages related to the variations in how often and when to begin and end screening based on individual risk.
• Implement client reminder systems (e.g., print or phone) to advise individuals in need of a cancer screening; messages may be tailored or general.
• Implement provider-oriented strategies, including provider reminders and recalls to identify when an individual is in need of, or overdue for, a cancer screening test based on individual or family history risk, and provider assessment and feedback interventions that present information about screening provision, in particular through use of an electronic health record system.
• Deliver one-on-one or group education conducted by health professionals or trained lay people to motivate individuals to seek screenings by ad- dressing indications for and benefits of screening, and what to expect during screening services. Use small media to support this education (e.g., brochures or newsletters).
• Implement workplace policies to provide paid time off for individuals to complete recommended cancer screenings.
• Collaborate with health plans to achieve in- creased cancer screening compliance rates, for example through the use of National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Healthcare  Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) cancer screening measures.
• Implement evidence-based practices through engagement of patient navigators in cancer screening processes.

For more on the Colorado Cancer Plan: http://bit.ly/cocancerplan