Study Results from Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute Broaden Understanding of Colon Cancer (Low Rates of Colonoscopy Follow-up After a Positive Fecal Immunochemical Test in a Medicaid Health Plan Delivered Mailed Colorectal …)

2020 SEP 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on colon cancer is the subject of a new report. According to news originating from the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Follow-up colonoscopy after a positive fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is necessary for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening to be effective. We report colonoscopy follow-up rates after a positive FIT overall and by population characteristics in the BeneFIT demonstration pilot, a Medicaid health insurance plan-delivered mailed FIT outreach program.”

Funders for this research include National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

The news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute: “In 2016, 2 health insurance plans in Oregon and in Washington state mailed FIT kits to Medicaid patients who, based on claims data, were overdue for CRC screening. We report follow-up colonoscopy completion rates after positive FIT, and differences in completion rates by age, sex, race, ethnicity, preferred language, and number of primary care visits in the prior year. This research was human subjects approved with a waiver of consent for data collection. The FIT positivity rates in Health Plan Oregon and Health Plan Washington were 7.9% (39/488) and 14.6% (125/857), respectively. Colonoscopy completion rates within 12 months of the positive test were 35.9% (14/41) in Health Plan Oregon and 32.8% (41/125) in Health Plan Washington. Colonoscopy completion rates were higher among individuals who preferred a language other than English (Non-English speakers 70.0%, English speakers 31.3%, P = .04).”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “In a health plan-delivered mailed FIT outreach program, follow-up colonoscopy rates after a positive test were low. Additional interventions are needed to assure colonoscopy after a positive FIT test and to reap the benefits of screening.”

For more information on this research see: Low Rates of Colonoscopy Follow-up After a Positive Fecal Immunochemical Test in a Medicaid Health Plan Delivered Mailed Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 2020,11. (Journal of Primary Care & Community Health - http://journals.sagepub.com/home/jpc). The publisher for Journal of Primary Care & Community Health is SAGE Publishing.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132720958525.

Our news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Beverly B. Green, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA. Additional authors for this research include Laura-Mae Baldwin, Imara I. West, Malaika Schwartz, Gloria D. Coronado.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)