The AHRQ has developed a quality measure to assess the percentage of patients who receive appropriate CRC screening recommendations. The survival rate for individuals who discover CRC in the early stages is greater than 90%; therefore, CRC screening is recommended by many national organizations (AHRQ, 2008). Practice quality can be determined by the percentage of patients who receive recommended screening for CRC. Consequences of a missed opportunity to offer CRC screening can lead to morbidity and medical malpractice suits. Failure to screen patients can result in a delayed diagnosis and a missed positive screening test can lead to complaints from patients, a possible missed cancer, and the potential for medical malpractice claims.Barriers to screening do and will continue to exist. Future healthcare reform and the push for a national CRC screening program will be beneficial to reach those patients who are underinsured or uninsured. Factors such as lack of awareness, cultural influence, lack of insurance, and decreased access to care are all barriers to screening. A provider’s recommendation should be issued to all eligible populations regardless of race or culture. A combination of FIT and colonoscopy would be sufficient to screen all eligible patients in an individual practice.
Using simple strategies and making changes to primary care practice will make a difference in the incidence and mortality from CRC.