By: Kit McKinnon, MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, CCM, NE-BC
Director of Care Management, SoNE HEALTH
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month, but it is always the right month to launch a PHM Colorectal cancer screening campaign.
A 2014 study published in Preventive Medicine examined the frequency of exposure to screening information as a predictor of screening participation and knowledge. Participants in the survey (N= 1714) were aged 50 years and above with no history of colorectal cancer or polyps. Significant gains in screening participation were associated with exposure to screening information.
While colorectal cancer screening rates have steadily risen, much can be done to improve the rate of screening in adult populations. Building upon the results of 2022’s successful SoNE PHM CRC screening outreach program, a Phase 2 Colorectal cancer screening campaign was launched on April 10. The 2023 campaign increases exposure to screening information in a few different ways: having direct contact from a nurse, a trusted source of evidence-based information, SoNE LinkedIn social media for the latest CDC information and direct mailings.
SoNE Nurse Care Managers are focused on a second outreach campaign, targeting the 270 people who didn’t answer the first time. Deploying SoNE technology resources such as Ring Central when people need translators and Teams videoconferencing, CM’s aim to engage more people, while enhancing patient experience.
Providing a second outreach campaign and comparing the rate of participation, Phase 1 to Phase 2, is the “exposure” strategy that we are testing. Does care coordination using nurse CM’s result in significant gains in screening participation? According to the CDC, 60% of Colon Cancer deaths could be prevented with screening and according to the National Cancer Institute the diagnosis rates of new CRC cases among people under the age of 50 are on the rise. Education around the importance and impact of screening for CRC is key to early diagnosis and improved patient outcomes.
Kit McKinnon is Director of Care Management at SoNE HEALTH
