Video: Colon Cancer Survivor and Endoscopy Technician Urges People to Get Screened

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Second chances aren’t a given, which is why Keith Lyons is determined to make the most of his.

“I’m a survivor. I got a second chance at life, and I’m not going to sit on it,” said Keith, an endoscopy technician at the Endoscopy Center of Red Bank, an AMSURG-affiliated ambulatory surgery center in New Jersey.

He is committed to helping others survive. In addition to raising awareness, he supports physicians in detecting and preventing colorectal cancer through colonoscopies at work.

As a teenager, he had an inflammatory bowel disease and didn’t like the thought of having to receive additional colonoscopies. Then, at 32, with the help of a trusted nurse and knowing the importance of his gastrointestinal health, he decided to get screened. That’s when he learned of his Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis, which he has worked to overcome.

“It’s an everyday fight. I’m not going to lie. But I’m still here to fight because I chose to get myself checked out.”

Now 55, Keith continues to spread his message of survival, encouraging people to get screened and using his experience to break stigmas around colonoscopies.

“‘Colon cancer is preventable.’ That’s my slogan,” he said. “Please get checked.”

Envision Healthcare Releases New White Paper Addressing Social Determinants of Health

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Envision Healthcare, a leading national medical group, is continuing work to improve health equity by addressing social determinants of health (SDOH). The medical group’s new white paper details how clinicians and healthcare professionals can work together to improve medical care for all patients. SDOH are the economic, political and/or cultural forces that influence the health of people and the communities in which they live. For many people in the United States, external factors have as great of an influence on their physical and mental health as any actionable guidelines for healthy living.

“Social determinants of health affect every person in every society, and their impact on health equity can be positive or negative,” said Sara Champoux, DHSc, PA-C, Vice President of Clinician Value and practicing emergency medicine clinician at Envision Healthcare. “Our clinician-led medical group is working to educate teammates, healthcare partners and stakeholders about these factors and their impact on an individual’s health. We are committed to providing quality care, establishing clinical best practices and advocating for reforms that advance the highest level of health for all people.”

The COVID-19 pandemic brought social determinants of health to the forefront, highlighting, and – in some instances – exacerbating existing healthcare disparities. The higher rates of illness and death among people of color is one example. Moreover, patients in rural communities were also disproportionately affected by COVID-19, experiencing 175 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 residents compared with 151 deaths per 100,000 residents for urban communities, according to data by McKinsey.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists several SDOH ranging from early childhood development to residential segregation to household income. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has organized these factors into five domains:

  1. Health and Healthcare
  2. Education
  3. Neighborhood and Built Environment
  4. Economic Stability
  5. Social and Community Context

The white paper explores these domains and includes examples of how medical groups like Envision can address SDOH within each domain.

Envision is committed to advocating for local, state and federal policy changes that address SDOH. This includes supporting the following:

  1. The development of and access to health equity measures
  2. The efforts to provide additional resources and facilitate stakeholder coordination
  3. Improving access to virtual health
  4. The transition to value-based care

The full white paper is available here. It builds on the work Envision has done to address healthcare disparities.

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About Envision Healthcare Corporation
Envision Healthcare Corporation is a leading national medical group that delivers physician and advanced practice provider services, primarily in the areas of emergency and hospitalist medicine, anesthesiology, radiology/teleradiology, and neonatology to more than 1,800 clinical departments in healthcare facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. As a leader in ambulatory surgical care, AMSURG holds ownership in more than 250 surgery centers in 34 states and the District of Columbia, with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopedics. In total, the medical group offers a differentiated suite of clinical solutions on a national scale with a local understanding of our communities, creating value for health systems, payers, providers, and patients. For additional information, visit www.envisionhealth.com.

Envision Healthcare’s Inaugural Clinical Impact Report Details High-Quality Patient Care Initiatives

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Envision Healthcare, a leading national medical group, today released its 2021 Clinical Impact Report, highlighting its impact on patients’ lives and communities across the country last year. The full report is available at EnvisionHealth.com/Impact-Report.

“In 2021, we remained on the frontlines for patients, exceeding national care quality benchmarks and implementing new programs that improve patients’ access to the right care at the right time,” said Jim Rechtin, Chief Executive Officer of Envision Healthcare. “We also made strides in enhancing our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Clinician Wellness programs. While there is no way to measure the true impact the Envision team has had on the millions of people we serve, this inaugural report provides a snapshot of the many ways we make a difference.”

Envision’s 2021 Clinical Impact Report demonstrates how Envision is providing care when and where it’s needed most. Last year, the Envision team rose to the many unique demands for care and drove positive changes within the U.S. healthcare system. Grounded in its commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care, the team continued combating the COVID-19 pandemic, responded to natural disasters and humanitarian crises and advanced innovative care approaches.

Envision remains focused on elevating the voices of clinicians and patients and championing solutions that improve the healthcare system for everyone. As the medical group moves forward in 2022, it will continue protecting the patient-clinician relationship, caring deeply for everyone and centering its actions on advancing the delivery of safe, quality care.

Making a Positive Impact
From providing lifesaving care to preventing colon cancer to welcoming newborns into the world, Envision is uniquely positioned to have a positive impact on millions of people in the U.S. In 2021, Envision’s 30,000 clinical and clinical support teammates and 4,000 ambulatory surgery center physician partners cared for America through millions of visits, including:

  • 30 million patient encounters
  • 16 million emergency department visits
  • 9 million radiology reads
  • 6 million anesthesia cases
  • 900,000 colonoscopies
  • 180,000 cataract surgeries
  • 132,000 newborn deliveries supported

Caring for Communities
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical group has helped lead the nation’s COVID-19 response, caring for patients and working to mitigate the spread of the virus. More than 500 Envision clinicians have traveled to hard-hit communities to provide lifesaving care and relief since the beginning of the pandemic. In 2021, Envision clinicians treated more than 3.4 million COVID-19 patients through emergency department and inpatient visits, including in the intensive care unit. Clinicians also administered COVID-19 tests and vaccines to first responders and community members. Envision continues to educate the public about the importance of getting vaccinated, leading by example through its commitment to having a fully vaccinated team.

Through its disaster response program and years of expertise responding to crises, Envision teams are helping community members navigate some of the nation’s most challenging times. In 2021, Envision clinicians cared for more than 5,000 Afghan refugees for five months until they were resettled and had the resources needed to begin their new lives in the U.S. Teammates also supported communities during the deep freeze in Texas, Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, the tornadoes in the Midwest and the Marshall Fire in Colorado.

Providing Safe, High-Quality, Patient-Centered Care
Through Envision’s commitment to a culture of safety, clinicians are continuously evaluating clinical protocols and developing best practices to enhance patient outcomes and satisfaction. Envision operates one of 94 Patient Safety Organizations listed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services division, which helps improve the quality and safety of patient care. Through the Physicians Quality Registry, a Qualified Clinical Data Registry approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Envision is one of the largest submitters of performance data to Medicare and is helping define the quality of care nationally.

Last year, Envision clinicians developed one new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System measure. Clinicians also exceeded several national quality benchmarks, including measures regarding sepsis, non-opioid pain therapy and the care of babies born weighing less than 1,500 grams.

Empowering Teammates to Thrive
Envision is focused on caring for the people who care for America. In 2021, the medical group remained steadfast in its efforts to prioritize the health of its teams through its comprehensive Clinician Wellness program, which includes free mental health services, peer-to-peer support, crisis debriefs and leadership coaching. Envision also advocated for the Dr. Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Act – a bipartisan bill designed to help change the culture and conditions that lead to burnout and eliminate the stigma that deters healthcare professionals from seeking mental healthcare.

Last year, Envision continued advancing its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program, raising awareness and providing teammates with educational opportunities and resources to support DEI. As a medical group caring for communities that reflect the country’s racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and economic diversity, Envision recognizes its responsibility to create a more just and inclusive society.

To download and read the report, visit EnvisionHealth.com/Impact-Report.

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About Envision Healthcare Corporation
Envision Healthcare Corporation is a leading national medical group that delivers physician and advanced practice provider services, primarily in the areas of emergency and hospitalist medicine, anesthesiology, radiology/teleradiology, and neonatology to more than 1,800 clinical departments in healthcare facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Post-acute care is delivered through an array of clinical professionals and integrated technologies which, when combined, contribute to efficient and effective population health management strategies. As a leader in ambulatory surgical care, AMSURG holds ownership in more than 250 surgery centers in 34 states and the District of Columbia, with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopedics. In total, the medical group offers a differentiated suite of clinical solutions on a national scale with a local understanding of our communities, creating value for health systems, payers, providers, and patients. For additional information, visit www.envisionhealth.com.

AMSURG Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

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AMSURG launched in 1992 as a pioneer in the ambulatory surgery center industry, originating a physician partnership model that endures today. Our original focus was endoscopy centers, but we quickly expanded to include ophthalmology, orthopedic and multi-specialty centers. Today, AMSURG is an industry innovator, advocate, and source for patients to find quality care in their communities.

AMSURG has grown from six partner physician groups in 1992 into a network of nearly 2,000 partner physicians at more than 255 facilities in 34 states and the District of Columbia. But our mission has never changed – to provide quality care when and where it’s needed most, providing enhanced access to services that improve and lengthen life.

Over the past three decades, AMSURG partner physicians have performed more than 25 million procedures across multiple specialties. What began with endoscopies has evolved to incorporate everything from eye care and pain management to the latest in orthopedic care, including total joint replacements – all in a same-day outpatient setting.

One of our proudest achievements came a dozen years ago when we launched StopColonCancerNow, a network of gastroenterologists that spans 32 states and the District of Columbia. Through their work with patients and public awareness and education campaigns, these clinicians combat the second deadliest form of cancer, colon cancer. AMSURG itself is a nation’s leading operator of GI endoscopy centers, and we provide cutting-edge research with Mount Sinai Health Systems and other partners to reduce health disparities and encourage more Americans to get screened for colon cancer earlier.

Advocacy and education are integral to how we serve patients. In 2012, we launched YourSightMatters, a campaign to raise awareness about cataracts and eye health. Today this coalition represents 300 ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses, and staff at 50 surgery centers.

AMSURG was publicly traded on NASDAQ from 1997 until the merger with Envision Healthcare. Revenues first topped $100 million in 1999. In 2000, AMSURG was named to Forbes’ list of Best Small Companies, which features the country’s most rapidly growing firms. The growth continued:

  • By 2002, AMSURG was a partner to 100 surgery centers, and by 2006 we were the largest ASC provider by the number of centers.
  • In 2007, AMSURG launched a multi-specialty ASC acquisition strategy. Today, we have 58 multi-specialty centers averaging more than 350,000 procedures a year.
  • By 2008, our partners were performing one million procedures annually.
  • In 2012, AMSURG established a health system partnership strategy, and today we have 57 centers with health system partners.

That year, we also finalized a partnership with RWJBarnabas Health to offer New Jersey area patients enhanced access to outpatient surgery services.

AMSURG merged with Sheridan Healthcare in 2014 and Envision Healthcare in 2016. That partnership enables us to make care more affordable and accessible to patients, champion wellness, and empower clinicians to improve the health of the communities they serve.

Envision Healthcare Continues Meeting Demand for Care

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Envision Healthcare, a leading national medical group, continues answering America’s call for care as concern grows over rising COVID-19 cases and the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The medical group and its affiliated clinicians remain committed to providing high-quality patient care when and where it is needed most in 2022 and beyond. This includes fighting the global pandemic, providing patients complex and high-acuity care and helping patients improve and maintain their quality of life.

“The past two years, we have been called upon to take on the enormous task of caring for America during a sustained global health crisis. And every single day, Envision’s affiliated clinicians and clinical support teammates have answered that call,” said Jim Rechtin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Envision Healthcare. “It is an honor and privilege to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team. Everybody cares deeply for one another, our healthcare partners and our patients while pursuing the extraordinary. This team makes a truly meaningful difference in the lives of millions of people. Looking forward, I believe we’ll make an even greater impact in shaping the future of care delivery and improving the health of communities.”

Providing Care When and Where It Is Needed Most
Almost two years after the first COVID-19 case was identified in the U.S., Envision Healthcare continues to be there for patients. From providing lifesaving COVID-19 care and administering vaccines to preventing colorectal cancer and expanding patients’ access to care, the 25,000 physicians and advanced practice providers affiliated with Envision have been at the forefront, caring for communities across the country and world. Some of the medical group’s actions in 2021 have included:

  • Caring for millions of COVID-19 patients
  • Deploying 300 clinicians in 2021 to Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana and Texas to care for patients in communities overwhelmed by COVID-19
  • Providing medical care to more than 2,000 Hurricane Ida evacuees and 5,000 Afghan refugees
  • Caring for patients impacted by the tornado outbreak across the Midwest and South in December 2021
  • Donating oxygen concentrators to healthcare providers in India, enabling treatment of four to five COVID-19 patients simultaneously
  • Providing surgical and essential medical care to more than 500 patients in Honduras and the Dominican Republic as part of Envision’s Global Health Initiative to support the health of communities worldwide
  • Working with paramedics in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) program to provide the right care at the right time and in the right place to patients across 11 states
  • Supporting communities, including first responders and multiple professional sports teams within the NFL, MLS and MLB, with COVID-19 testing, vaccine administration and game-day medical support

Delivering High-Quality, Patient-Centered Care
As a leader in delivering quality care, Envision puts patients’ health and safety first. The medical group is continuously evaluating clinical best practices and implementing innovative care solutions to improve the health of communities. In addition to its robust quality programs, Envision operates a Patient Safety Organization certified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The group also has a Qualified Clinical Data Registry approved by CMS to help with quality measure development, data collection and performance reporting. Through the registry, Envision is one of the largest submitters of performance data to Medicare, which means it is defining the quality of care at a national level. These platforms help Envision’s affiliated clinicians and healthcare partners drive toward safe, reliable and high-quality care.

Envision-affiliated clinicians have provided nearly 300,000 virtual health visits since the program was expanded at the beginning of the pandemic. The virtual health visits are primarily in the areas of office-based care, urgent care, neurology and post-acute care. The medical group is enhancing its virtual health capabilities to improve patients’ access to the appropriate care.

Radiologists affiliated with Envision are leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance disease detection, case prioritization and diagnosis for three common and consequential medical emergencies: intracranial hemorrhages, pulmonary embolisms and cervical spine fractures.

As part of a series of educational initiatives, the medical group has shared its clinical expertise and recommendations to improve treatment and patient outcomes throughout the healthcare system. Envision and its affiliated clinicians continue to address the nation’s most pressing healthcare challenges, including healthcare disparities, maternal-fetal care, opioid prescription misuse and opioid use disorder, strokes and clinician well-being.

Caring for the Clinicians Who Care for America
A core tenet of Envision’s mission is to care for the clinicians who care for America. Envision is committed to protecting clinicians and fostering an environment that supports their professional and personal well-being. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Envision has expanded its wellness program, which includes free mental health services, peer-to-peer support, crisis debriefs, leadership training and counseling. These resources are part of a comprehensive, systems-based approach that focuses on the unique needs of clinicians and is shared with the entire medical community.

While Envision has always prioritized wellness, the pandemic put significant pressure on clinicians, requiring them to risk their health and safety to care for millions of patients while navigating the challenges that already existed within the complex and dated U.S. healthcare system. Envision advocated for the Dr. Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Act – a bipartisan bill named in honor of Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency physician in Manhattan who died by suicide in April 2020 after caring for patients during the first COVID-19 wave. It is designed to help change the culture and conditions that lead to burnout and eliminate the stigma that deters healthcare professionals from seeking mental healthcare.

Preventing Colorectal Cancer
AMSURG, a division of Envision Healthcare and a national leader in outpatient care, has worked alongside its physician partners throughout the year to perform more than 900,000 colonoscopies, helping patients detect and prevent colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. but one of the most preventable cancers. When detected early, CRC can be easier to treat, and patients often have better outcomes.

As more patients are diagnosed with CRC at a younger age, AMSURG is educating Americans on how they can prevent CRC and maintain their health. In 2021, AMSURG, one of the nation’s leading providers of colonoscopies, conducted crucial research in collaboration with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The teams’ findings support recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society to lower the initial screening age from 50 to 45 for Americans who are at average risk for CRC.

Leading the Delivery of Care Into 2022
In 2021, the medical group cared for more than 32 million patients across the country, drawing upon its collective expertise to improve patient outcomes and the health of communities. The multispecialty team is developing solutions to healthcare challenges, improving patients’ access to care and helping lead the country in providing value-based care. In 2022, Envision will continue sharing clinical best practices with the healthcare community and advancing the delivery of care.

As Envision fights COVID-19, it urges Americans to follow safe and effective public health measures. Everyone plays a role in caring for one another. COVID-19 vaccines are one of the most effective tools available at preventing severe illness and saving someone’s life. Envision encourages all who are eligible, including children who are at least 5 years old, to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive their boosters when appropriate. In addition, wearing a mask, staying socially distant and testing for COVID-19 remain effective ways to mitigate the spread of the virus.

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About Envision Healthcare Corporation
Envision Healthcare Corporation is a leading national medical group that delivers physician and advanced practice provider services, primarily in the areas of emergency and hospitalist medicine, anesthesiology, radiology/teleradiology, and neonatology to more than 1,800 clinical departments in healthcare facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Post-acute care is delivered through an array of clinical professionals and integrated technologies which, when combined, contribute to efficient and effective population health management strategies. As a leader in ambulatory surgical care, AMSURG holds ownership in more than 250 surgery centers in 34 states and the District of Columbia, with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopedics. In total, the medical group offers a differentiated suite of clinical solutions on a national scale with a local understanding of our communities, creating value for health systems, payers, providers, and patients. For additional information, visit www.envisionhealth.com.

Envision Healthcare Shares Resources to Support Clinician Mental Health

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National Medical Group Uses Systematic Professional Well-Being Approach to Support Clinicians’ Wellness

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Envision Healthcare, a leading national medical group, is providing best practices on how to improve the professional well-being of clinicians and mitigate burnout. To help the more than 50 percent of clinicians who experience symptoms of burnout,[1] Envision is sharing its mental health resources with the entire medical community.

Throughout the pandemic, clinicians have dealt with similar life stressors that everyone is facing – illness and death of loved ones, child-rearing responsibilities and overall uncertainty – compounded by the trauma and fatigue of fighting a deadly disease for more than 18 months. The post-traumatic stress of the pandemic has and will continue to impact clinicians in the months and years to come.

To help clinicians navigate the many challenges they face in the U.S. healthcare system, Envision has enhanced the wellness resources it provides clinicians and efforts to reduce stigma around mental health, including:

  • Advocating for the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act and public policy changes to promote the study of professional mental, behavioral health and burnout among healthcare professionals
  • Providing additional crisis peer support and free mental health support services to clinicians as they continue to care for critically ill COVID-19 patients
  • Enhancing its wellness program to address the psychological and emotional needs of clinicians, including peer-to-peer support, leadership training and counseling

“As a national medical group, it is a core tenet of our mission to care for and foster an environment that supports the professional well-being of clinicians; however, clinician well-being can’t solely focus on the individual – it must encompass personal, organizational, healthcare system and policy interventions,” said Stefanie Simmons, MD, FACEP, Vice President of Clinician Engagement at Envision Healthcare. “We must ensure all clinicians have the resources necessary to support their mental health and well-being. Clinicians are there when we need them most – we must be there for them.”

To further support clinician well-being, Envision supports organizational and healthcare system policy improvements, such as improving practice schedule flexibility, reforming tort laws and providing student loan relief. While individual well-being and resiliency are important, addressing professional well-being as a systemic issue that is actionable will lead to positive, lasting change.

Read the full clinician professional well-being white paper here.

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About Envision Healthcare Corporation
Envision Healthcare Corporation is a leading national medical group that delivers physician and advanced practice provider services, primarily in the areas of emergency and hospitalist medicine, anesthesiology, radiology/teleradiology, and neonatology to more than 1,800 clinical departments in healthcare facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Post-acute care is delivered through an array of clinical professionals and integrated technologies which, when combined, contribute to efficient and effective population health management strategies. As a market leader in ambulatory surgical care, the medical group owns and operates 255 surgery centers in 34 states and the District of Columbia, with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopedics. In total, the medical group offers a differentiated suite of clinical solutions on a national scale with a local understanding of our communities, creating value for health systems, payers, providers, and patients. For additional information, visit www.envisionhealth.com.

[1] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25521

COVID Booster Shots to Begin in September As Delta Variant Fills Hospitals and Breakthrough Infections Rise

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Then Dr. Adam Brown, an emergency physician and the COVID-19 National Task Force Chair at Envision Healthcare, joins CBSN’s Lana Zak to discuss the latest on vaccines and the risk of “breakthrough” infections.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots-in-september-delta-variant-breakthrough-infections

Need a Gastroenterologist? Look Past Average

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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of primary care and prevention experts, recently issued new guidelines that recommend individuals of average risk begin colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings at age 45 instead of age 50.

The Task Force said its recommendation was prompted by an increase in the CRC rate in younger people. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of U.S. cancer death, and more than 10 percent of all new CRC cases are diagnosed in patients under age 50.

While colorectal cancer screenings are essential, clinicians and patients should understand that not all colonoscopies are equal. In particular, to ensure they receive quality care, before scheduling an appointment, patients should ask their gastroenterologist about the gastroenterologist’s adenoma detection rate (ADR) – a measurement that indicates how often precancerous polyps are found during exams and that contributes to how carefully colonoscopies are performed.

A study by the Polish Ministry of Health recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine separated colonoscopies into high- and low- quality exams, with a 20 percent ADR as the dividing line. The goal for the GI Quality Improvement Consortium (GIQuIC), which sets the standard in the collection and reporting of quality measures for the practice of gastrointestinal endoscopy, is a 25 percent ADR. The study, the first to include baseline examination quality in the analysis of long-term risk for CRC and mortality after a negative colonoscopy, also defined high-quality colonoscopies as those that include cecal intubation (a term that means the entire colon was examined) and adequate bowel preparation.

The Polish researchers found patients who received just one negative colonoscopy were at a lower risk for colorectal cancer for up to 17.4 years – but only if the patient had a high-quality exam. The study concluded colonoscopies with ADRs higher than 20 percent “provided a profound and stable reduction in both CRC incidence and mortality throughout follow-up.” In other words, if the negative screening came from a clinician with an ADR below 20 percent, future CRC risk was higher.

Specifically, the researchers found high-quality exams resulted in a two-fold reduction in the colorectal cancer incidence rate and a two-fold lower mortality rate. With a low-quality colonoscopy, mortality already was significantly higher the first five years after examination. The researchers determined, “Many cases of CRC arise from lesions missed at baseline examination rather than from newly developed lesions.”

An analysis of U.S. patients by Kaiser Permanente in 2014 resulted in similar findings. Specifically, Kaiser found for each one percent increase in ADR, there was a three percent decrease in colorectal cancer risk. That study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, said the ADR “was inversely associated with the risks of interval colorectal cancer, advanced-stage interval cancer, and fatal interval cancer.”

The Polish study also concluded high-quality colonoscopies are perhaps even more important for women. “Examination quality particularly affected CRC incidence and mortality in women,” the researchers said. “After low-quality colonoscopy, incidence rates in women were significantly higher than the rates observed in men throughout follow-up.”

In 2019, AMSURG ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) completed more than 938,000 colonoscopies and identified nearly 360,000 patients with adenomas/cancers. The ADR for AMSURG clinicians participating in GIQuIC is 38.37 percent – nearly double the ADR the Polish study rated as high-quality. (About three-quarters of all AMSURG ASCs participate in GIQuIC.)

“In 2019 AMSURG clinicians identified more than 125,000 additional cancers and adenomas than would be expected if their ADR was simply equal to the national benchmark,” said Dr. Jay Popp, AMSURG Medical Staff Development Lead. “When it comes to colonoscopies, quality can be a life or death matter. By tracking ADR through GIQuIC, our centers provide the information patients need to make informed decisions that will reduce their risk of developing colorectal cancer and will protect their long-term health.”