Breaking down health equity barriers

We collaborate with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) to improve cancer screening accessibility. Our work together includes examining the cancer incidence in Flint, Michigan, and offering education about prevention and early detection. So far, we’ve hosted two Flint Community Cancer Screening and Health Fairs in collaboration with NMQF.

We work closely with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), which focus on underserved or disadvantaged areas and populations. The centers offer comprehensive primary care services on a sliding fee scale to enable wide access. We are working with FQHCs by creating assistance programs, engaging patients in their preferred language when possible, and understanding the health literacy levels of their populations so that we can better meet needs.

As a responsible corporate partner, we collaborate with key organizations in communities with an Exact Sciences’ presence. We work to understand each community’s unique needs and train community health workers on CRC disease states, current screening recommendations, and options for treatment in order to help them advance screening education. We have formed several groups to explore additional engagement, including a Voice of Patient team to amplify patients’ point in our clinical trials and a Health Equity Advisory Board to guide our approach to equitably serving populations.

Many health systems are exploring bringing care, especially screening, closer to where individuals live and work through health screening fairs, community events, mobile clinics, and other activities. Exact Sciences can provide a wide array of support for these events, including multicultural educational materials and on-site engagement with providers who can order CRC screening. We are working with the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ) to engage health systems in addressing screening disparities, with a focus on rural populations.

We work to raise awareness of the impact of the Cologuard^® test for underserved populations and those disproportionately impacted by colorectal cancer (CRC) As part of this, we lead or contribute to several studies to understand inequities, barriers, and perspectives in CRC screening. In addition to demonstrating the value of the Cologuard test for patients who use Medicaid, we examine socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in CRC screening, study psychosocial barriers that contribute to a lack of urgency around CRC screening and analyze screening behaviors among people with limited English language proficiency.

Important information about the Cologuard test

The Cologuard test is intended to screen adults 45 years of age and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer by detecting certain DNA markers and blood in the stool. Do not use if you have adenomas, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. A Cologuard test is not a replacement for a colonoscopy in high-risk patients. Cologuard test performance in adults age 45-49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older.

The Cologuard test result should be interpreted with caution. A positive test result does not confirm the presence of cancer. Patients with a positive test result should be referred for colonoscopy. A negative test result does not confirm the absence of cancer. Patients with a negative test result should discuss with their doctor when they need to be tested again. False positives and false negative results can occur. In a clinical study, 13% of people without cancer received a positive result (false positive) and 8% of people with cancer received a negative result (false negative). Rx only.

Our Screening Has Meaning campaign helps multicultural audiences understand the importance of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Our goal is to socialize and normalize conversations around CRC in community gathering places.

We sponsor the American Indian Cancer Foundation’s Blue Beads Day campaign, a culturally concordant, national CRC awareness campaign for Native American communities. Blue Beads Day emphasizes the importance of early detection and reminds people to stay up to date on their cancer screenings.

As an advocacy collaborator, we support the No One Missed campaign. This community-led effort, driven by LUNGevity Foundation, works to build awareness of biomarker testing as a crucial part of every non-small-cell lung cancer diagnosis. Since its launch in 2021, the campaign has reached millions of people in the African American and Hispanic communities with greater education about the importance of comprehensive biomarker testing in lung cancer care.

We believe everyone should have access to the best healthcare options. We created our Patient Assistance Program to help certain patients receive our tests at no cost. Those patients include people facing challenges with insurance coverage or those whose incomes are at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Our Funding Opportunities for CRC Screening Uptake Strategies (FOCUS) Program provides grant funding to community health organizations, health foundations, public health organizations, and advocacy groups working to increase access to CRC screening and to reduce barriers to follow-up colonoscopy. Awardees use the funds to implement evidence-based strategies proven to increase colorectal cancer screening rates.