With preventive care being a major center of attention for the future of healthcare in the United States, there is not a better example of Benjamin Franklin’s “an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure” than colorectal cancer.
During March, it is the focus of an informative campaign by the CDC to get the word out to the public.
Let’s look at some of the important information about colorectal cancer:
One-third of adults 50 years or older (about 22 million people) have not had recommended screening
It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths
Both men and women are at risk
In 2013:
136,119 were diagnosed in US (71,099 men and 65,020 women)
51,813 died (27,230 men and 24,583 women)
It usually starts from precancerous polyps in the colon or rectum
Approximately 4.4 % of men and women will be diagnosed with colon and rectum cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2011-2013 data.
Screening tests can find polyps early and cancer cells early
5 year survival rate is 65.1% based on data from SEER 18 2006-2012. Localized (earliest stage) goes up to 90.1%.
In conjunction with the CDC efforts , CMS has published helpful links in their newsletter, MLN Connects, that provide providers access to what Medicare covers for these services. There are detailed guides with procedure codes, covered diagnosis codes, and the coverage guidelines based on patient age, risk, etc.
There are several screening tests to detect polyps and early colorectal cancer:
Stool tests:
Guaiac-based Fecal Occult Blood Test (gFOBT)
Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)
FIT-DNA Test (or Stool DNA test)
Other tests:
Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
Colonoscopy
CT Colonography (Virtual Colonoscopy)
Medicine and taking care of your patients is your business. At Shavara, our business is helping providing tools to ensure your cash flow stays strong. Get a free demo of our Practice Management Software, Iridium Suite today!
