- AGA supports the development of a national approach to CRC screening to ensure accessibility to all individuals in the United States with the goal to eliminate suffering and death from CRC.
- There is strong evidence from randomized controlled trials, observational clinical studies and modeling studies that increasing CRC screening rates will reduce CRC incidence and mortality.
- A screening program should include both colonoscopy and noninvasive screening options, patient education, outreach and navigation support.
- Co-pays and deductibles are barriers to screening and contribute to socioeconomic disparities. The full cost of screening should be covered by payers without cost sharing.
- Screening with high-quality colonoscopy should be covered by payers without cost-sharing, consistent with the aims of the Affordable Care Act. These costs include the bowel preparation, facility and preparation fees, anesthesia and pathology.
- Noninvasive colorectal screening should be considered as programs with multiple steps, each of which, including follow-up colonoscopy if the test is positive, should be covered by payers without cost sharing as part of the screening continuum.
- AGA supports expansion of the continuum of screening to include the follow-up of patients found to have high-risk adenomas (HRA) or advanced sessile serrated lesions (SSLs).
- AGA, working with a broad coalition of stakeholders, envisions the creation of a national resource to help manage population health focused on ensuring high-quality CRC screening and eliminating barriers to CRC screening.