The New England Journal of Medicine says that a colonoscopy colorectal cancer screening is one of the few preventive services shown to reduce future health care costs.

“We know screening for colorectal cancer is good health policy, and makes good economic sense,” commented ACG President Dr. Eamonn Quigley. “When screening procedures detect colon cancer early, nine of ten patients beat the disease.  In the absence of screening, colon cancer is usually found too late and many patients die.  Those are starkly different outcomes that we have the power to change.”

It is the racial minorities, uninsured Americans and Medicare patients who should be tested but are not being screened appropriately, according to the ACG. ACG is committed to national policy changes to improve access to colorectal screening and increased use of these proven prevention strategies, including reversing Medicare’s massive cuts to reimbursement for these tests since the benefit was first introduced, as well as to payments in the ambulatory surgery centers where many screening tests are performed.

“We can point to impressive milestones indicating a trend moving in the right direction, yet much work remains,” Dr. Quigley said. “We will continue to champion the lifesaving potential of colonoscopy and work to expand access to lifesaving screening tests.”

SOURCE: Fleet Attorney › ACG applauds Obama’s support of colorectal screenings