Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente Northern California has more than doubled its colorectal cancer screening rates over the past two decades — from 37.4% in 2000 to 79.8% in 2019 — through a proactive outreach program that has also significantly reduced mortality.
Here are five things to know:
1. The findings were presented on May 3 at the 2025 Digestive Disease Week conference by Douglas Corley, MD, PhD, chief research officer at The Permanente Medical Group.
2. Kaiser launched its screening initiative in 2006. The program notified patients when they were due for colorectal cancer screening and mailed them at-home fecal immunochemical test kits, making routine screening more accessible.
3, Following the rollout of the program, the number of CRC diagnoses initially rose, a common trend when screening increases, but gradually declined by approximately 30% over time as routine testing became widespread.
4. Over the study period, colorectal cancer mortality was reduced by 50%. The most notable decline in death rates occurred among Black patients.
5. The study highlights how “consistent and comprehensive screening outreach to all eligible members, with no in-person visit required, can make an extraordinary difference in reducing colorectal cancer incidence and deaths and eliminating racial disparities,” Dr. Corley said in a release.
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