Sharing Stories Improves Cancer Screening Rates

When this Northwest team decided to work on improving colorectal screening rates, it developed an approach that included a two-pronged outreach system and a plan for ensuring team members were delivering a consistent message. By using specialized scripting, team members personalized the importance of the test. They told the story of how physicians in the clinic had tested positive—but because the disease was detected early, they got treatment in time and are doing well. In addition, the team identified its eligible patients between the ages of 50 and 75 and created a workflow to follow up with them. The combination of methods worked even better than hoped: The team shot past its target by nearly 7 percentage points.

Here's What Worked

• Identifying members who are eligible for colorectal screening
• Developing scripting to personalize the importance of the screening
• Creating a process for follow up with members

What can your team do to humanize your approach in talking to patients about cancer screenings?