EHRs Help Boost Colon Cancer Screenings, Study Finds

A centralized program for reminding patients about colon cancer screenings that was coordinated by electronic health records helped improve screening rates, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Beverly Green -- the lead study author and practicing physician at Group Health Cooperative in Washington -- said, "With a simple centralized program, we leveraged our electronic health records to identify those who needed screening," adding, "We doubled the colon cancer screening rates."

• "Colonoscopy Tied to Lower Risk of Advanced Cancer" (Pittman, Reuters, 3/4).
• "Electronic Health Records Improve Colon Cancer Screening Rates" (Sloane, "The Chart," CNN, 3/4).