Colorectal Cancer Screening
2024-25 Edition
Why is it important to screen for colorectal cancer?
Colorectal cancer, or cancer of the colon, is one of the top leading causes of cancer-related deaths for men and women. Screening is very important because there are usually no early signs of colorectal cancer. When colorectal cancer is found early, it is more curable.
How should doctors screen for colorectal cancer?
Your doctor can use one of five different tests to screen for colorectal cancer. The type of test that is best for you will depend on your age. If you are over 45, you should talk with your doctor to see what screening test for colorectal cancer is best for you.
Talk with your doctor and health plan to find out about what materials and other resources are available. Many health plans offer educational materials (print or online) about colorectal cancer screening. These materials can help you to better understand the tests and the results.
What do the stars mean?
The scores show how well each health plan did at making sure patients, ages 46 to 75, were tested for colorectal cancer. A higher score means more patients got the right care at the right time.
The scores are based on information from administrative records of at least 30 health plan members in 2023. Some plans also use patient medical records, which are often more complete and result in higher scores. Plans that decide not to use medical records are likely to have lower scores.
Data Disclaimer
The data source for data for the Report Cards is Quality Compass® 2024 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass® 2024 includes Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) and Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) data. Any data display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors. NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion. Quality Compass and HEDIS are registered trademarks of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
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