Medica To Host Minnesota Cancer Alliance Conference On Colorectal Cancer

Main Category: Colorectal Cancer
Also Included In: Conferences
Article Date: 04 Mar 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Medica on March 5 is hosting a conference that will explore topics and issues related to improving the screening and detection of colorectal cancer in Minnesota. The event is sponsored by the Minnesota Cancer Alliance. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

More Minnesotans die of colorectal cancer than either breast or prostate cancer, and only lung cancer kills more people. In 2008, 2,430 Minnesotans were diagnosed with the disease, while 760 people died from it, according to the American Cancer Society.

Although screening tests provide the best opportunity for early detection and successful treatment of the disease, less than two-thirds of Minnesotans age 50 and older are being screened as recommended. From 2000 to 2006, screening rates have remained relatively flat at about 63 percent. Moreover, only 45 percent of colorectal cancer cases in the state are diagnosed at an early stage, compared to nearly 70 percent of breast cancer and more than 90 percent of prostate cancer cases being diagnosed at an early stage.

The conference will look at barriers to screening, ways to raise public awareness of the impact and prevalence of the disease, strategies for ensuring the best treatment, reasons for disparities in the disease, and reimbursement methodologies for health care services related to colorectal cancer.

"Medica is pleased to host this conference because we are dedicated to helping the health care community and all Minnesotans make a quantum leap forward in beating this horrible disease," said Ken Joslyn, M.D., Medica medical director for population health and a member of the Minnesota Cancer Alliance Colorectal Cancer Subcommittee. "In order to make an impact, we must explore all angles of the issues in the detection and treatment of colorectal cancer, which touches people from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds."

It may surprise some to learn that non-Hispanic white men have the second highest colorectal cancer incidence of any demographic group in Minnesota, trailing only American Indian men. Colorectal cancer incidence among American Indians is twice as high in Minnesota as in the United States as a whole.

The more educated a person is, the more likely they are to be screened for colorectal cancer. Among the college-educated, 66.5 percent of Minnesotans had a colonoscopy between 2004 and 2006. For high school graduates, the rate was 61 percent, while non-high school graduates had a screening rate of 55 percent.

Based on data compiled by the American Cancer Society, from 2001-2205 the Twin Cities metro area had the lowest incidence of colorectal cancer at 48.1 cases per 100,000 people; the state average was 49.8. Rates were significantly higher in the Southwest (59.5), Northwest (57.9) West Central (55.8) and Northeast (53.9) parts of the state.

"The data support the need to make a concerted effort to address the unnecessarily high rate of incidence for colorectal cancer," said Joslyn. "We hope that by coming together to discuss these issues in an open, frank manner the health care community can make real progress against this disease."

Medica has had targeted outreach to its members on colorectal cancer screening since 2002. Last year, 98,210 members were reminded that they were past due for a screening or had one coming up in the near future. Data from previous program studies indicates about 10 percent of those members, or approximately 10,000 of them, will get the screening than if Medica had not reminded them.

About Medica

Medica is a health insurance company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the Upper Midwest. With nearly 1.4 million members, the non-profit company provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network.

Medica has the highest accreditation status, Excellent, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA®) for its Minnesota Medicaid HMO plans and commercial health plans in Minnesota and North Dakota. Medica's vision is to become the community's health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency.

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