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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) CME: Take the course for this article: Developing a Quality Screening Colonoscopy Referral System in Primary Care ... FREE NURSING CONTACT HOURS All Versions of this Article: caac.20048v1 60/1/40    most recent Submit a letter to the editor View responses Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sifri, R. Articles by Smith, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sifri, R. Articles by Smith, R.

Developing a Quality Screening Colonoscopy Referral System in Primary Care Practice: A Report from the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable

¹Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
²Alumni Professor and Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
³Professor, Department of Medicine, Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Oregon Health and Science University, Center for Health and Healing, Portland, OR
⁴Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
⁵Vice President, Programs, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Alexandria, VA
⁶Professor of Surgery, State University of New York at Downstate, and Chief of Surgery, VA New York Harbor Health Care System, Brooklyn, NY
⁷Director, Cancer Screening, Cancer Control Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA

Corresponding author: Randa Sifri, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, 1015 Walnut Street, Suite 401, Philadelphia, PA 19107; randa.sifri{at}jefferson.edu

To earn free CME credit or nursing contact hours for successfully completing the online quiz based on this article, go to http://CME.AmCancerSoc.org.

DISCLOSURES: Supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement No. U50/DP424071. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC. The authors report no conflicts of interest.

The use of colonoscopy in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening has increased substantially in recent years. Media messages and changes in insurance reimbursement, as well as new screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society and the US Preventive Services Task Force, have contributed to this increase. Primary care providers (PCPs) are frequently responsible for making the recommendation and referral for screening. The process of successfully referring a patient for screening colonoscopy can be cumbersome and requires a coordinated effort between the PCP and the endoscopist. In recognition of the potential complexity of this process, the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable has issued a report to describe the components of a quality screening colonoscopy referral system in primary care practice. The elements of a quality program include an optimal scheduling and referral system, the appropriate patient preparation information, consistent reporting and follow–up systems, and a detailed approach to dealing with special situations. CA Cancer J Clin 2010. © 2009 American Cancer Society, Inc.

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