Effect of a physician led education invention on colon cancer screening at underserved clinics in Georgia

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are much lower at federally qualified health centers (FQHC) than the rest of the nation. The study aim was to determine if a physician led, low cost intervention, can improve CRC screening rates at FQHCs for underserved patients. Methods: A CRC quality improvement outreach program was conducted at 4 FQHCs. The program included direct provider education sessions, systems process improvements, patient education resources and low cost testing. We analyzed pre and post intervention screening rates for all eligible patients, defined as age 50–74 at average CRC risk. Results: CRC screening rates significantly increased at all sites 3 months following intervention: Site 1: 41%–48.3%, p <.0001; site 2: 31.6%–37.8%, p <.0001; site 3: 30.5%–38.2%, p <.0001 and site 4: 43.9%–46.8%, p =.012. Conclusion: The education program successfully increased CRC screening rates in the underserved by 2.9%–7.7% 3 months post-intervention. Practice implications: This approach of direct provider education sessions, systems process improvements, patient education resources and low cost testing improved underserved CRC screening. Implementation across Georgia would be expected to improve CRC related mortality and morbidity for the state's underserved.