Colorectal Cancer Screening Gets Special Look in AJMC Papers

PLAINSBORO, N.J.—A trio of papers in The American Journal of Managed Care examining the usefulness of widespread screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) finds the policy is cost-effective, but there might be ways to limit unnecessary tests.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) called for eliminating cost sharing for colorectal cancer screening, but elements of the law that require payment for diagnostic tests—if symptoms are present—mean that some patients face out-of-pocket costs anyway. Thus, uptake of this tool has not been as widespread as some hoped. These recently published papers look at aspects of the ACA requirement from policy and payer perspectives:

· “The Value of Colonoscopic Cancer Screening of Adults Aged 50 to 64 Years,” led by Kathryn Fitch, RN, MEd, found that increasing uptake of screening from 50% to 100% would increase screening costs for a commercial payer $3 per member per month while decreasing CRC treatment costs $1 per month (in 2013 dollars). Fitch et al calculated the cost per life-year saved at $12,000, which is lower than cervical or breast cancer and comparable to lung screening.

· In “Pilot of Decision Support to Individualize Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations,” authors led by Amy R. Schwartz, MD, examine the use of a decision support system, facilitated by electronic medical records, that ensures the right patients are screened. This method balances what the authors called the potential harms of the test itself with longer-term benefits.

· In “Colorectal Cancer Screening in the 21st Century: Where Do We Go From Here?” Jennifer K. Maratt, MD, and Sameer D. Saini, MD, MS, examine the findings of both Schwartz and Fitch, as well as other aspects of the issue, noting that some payers may balk at funding screenings for the 50 to 64-year-old age group if they believe the savings are really going to Medicare. The value of CRC screening is “indisputable,” they write, and the challenge is ensuring that the right patients are screened, with the goal of moving to a 70% rate by 2020.

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The American Journal of Managed Care celebrates its 20th year in 2015 as the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care. AJMC.com distributes healthcare news to leading stakeholders across a variety of platforms. Other titles in the franchise include The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits, which provides pharmacy and formulary decision-makers with information to improve the efficiency and health outcomes in managing pharmaceutical care, and The American Journal of Accountable Care, which publishes research and commentary on innovative healthcare delivery models facilitated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. AJMC’s Evidence-Based series brings together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders in oncology and diabetes management. To order reprints of articles appearing in AJMC publications, please call (609) 716-7777, x 131.

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