Conshohocken, PA (March 1, 2017) –Tandigm Health, a value-based healthcare organization supporting primary care physicians, today announced that it has made the pledge to help increase colorectal cancer screening by supporting 80% by 2018, a movement that aims to have 80 percent of adults ages 50 and older regularly screened for colorectal cancer by 2018.
Led by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT), an organization co-founded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80% by 2018 brings together over one thousand organizations that have committed to substantially reducing colorectal cancer as a major public health problem and are working toward the shared goal of preventing this disease. Although colorectal cancer is the nation’s second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, it is one of only a few cancers that can be prevented. Through proper colorectal cancer screening, doctors can find and remove hidden growths (called “polyps”) in the colon, before they become cancerous. Removing polyps can prevent cancer altogether.
Part of the goal of the 80% by 2018 initiative is to leverage the energy of multiple and diverse partners, such as Tandigm Health, to empower communities, patients and providers to increase screening rates. The initiative consists of health care providers, health systems, communities, businesses, community health centers, government, non-profit organizations and patient advocacy groups who are committed to getting more people screened for colorectal cancer to prevent more cancers and save lives.
Tandigm Health will work toward this ambitious goal through a multi-pronged approach, developed in partnership with the American Cancer Society. This approach includes leveraging the financial incentives Tandigm Health provides to physicians in its network, providing tools and resources to practices to support efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening rates, engaging in outreach to increase awareness for regular screening, and working together with identified sites to provide tailored support to improve practices and policies for colorectal cancer screening.
“Tandigm Health is proud to join forces with healthcare organizations across the country to increase colorectal cancer screening through our participation in the 80% by 2018 initiative,” said Ken Goldblum, MD, FACP, Tandigm Health’s chief medical officer. “Colorectal cancer is a very important public health issue and we are committed to increasing screenings among patients of Tandigm physicians – and across the county – in an effort to detect and prevent this disease.”
While colorectal cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent in the U.S. over the last 10 years among adults 50 and older, it is still the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S, despite being highly preventable, detectable and treatable. In fact, in 2015 in the U.S., 132,700 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed.