Cancer screenings are the best way to identify cancer in the earliest stages, before it causes symptoms and when it is most likely to be curable. Unfortunately, screening for breast and cervical cancer has been on the decline, due to prolonged delays in screening during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, screening rates for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer plummeted, which could lead to delayed diagnoses, poor treatment outcomes and an increase in cancer among people who experience health inequities.
When you consider the statistics on the national prevalence for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers, it’s clear that providers must prioritize cancer screening for at-risk patients.
- Breast Cancer—1 in 8 women (12.5%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
- Colorectal Cancer—149,500 U.S. adults will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer—104,270 cases of colon cancer (roughly the same percentage of cases for men as women) and 45,230 cases of rectal cancer (59% men; 40% women).
- Cervical Cancer—About 14,480 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year.
To assist VHAN providers in engaging patients in important preventive cancer screenings, the network recently released a Preventive Cancer Screenings Quick Reference Guide. By aggregating best practices into a short guide that focuses on practical ways to improve workflows and patient education, the network hopes to equip providers to increase breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screenings.
The guide includes:
- Foundational, intermediate and advanced strategies for optimizing cancer screening engagement
- A brief practice assessment to identify which strategies best apply to your practice
- Process improvement ideas for clinic workflows
- Program and event ideas, such as the FluFIT program and Mammo Mondays
- EMR optimization opportunities
- Cancer screening guidelines and payor attestation opportunities
Any VHAN members who have questions about implementing the strategies included in the guide can reach out to their network contact or email VHAN at info@vhan.com.