Implementation of Paired Promotion of Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Social Needs Screening

Project Summary: The linked cancer prevention and social needs intervention will be implemented by four community health centers (CHCs) in Massachusetts, beginning Summer 2020. It will focus on home-based colorectal cancer screening by fecal immunochemical testing (FIT). The FIT test outreach will integrate with social determinants of health (SDOH) screenings, and referrals to social services in coordination with scheduled telehealth (video or phone) or in-person visits and other outreach activities (e.g. wellness checks) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Registries identifying patients in need of SDOH screening and colorectal cancer screening based on electronic health record data will be used to alert clinic staff to reach out to these identified patients about CRC screening and social needs screening, assist with scheduling a telehealth visit with providers to discuss CRC screening and discuss CRC screening options, and follow-up to support FIT completion and social services referral completion. The study aims to rapidly test the implementation of this intervention, while sustainably and equitably improving colorectal cancer screening rates and social determinants of health screening.

Project Leads: Sanja Percac-Lima & Jennifer Haas