title: Improving colorectal cancer screening and care in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare system.
abstract: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has recently launched several nationwide initiatives to improve the quality of its colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and care. The timeliness of follow-up diagnostic tests in patients who have positive noncolonoscopic CRC screening tests is one of the target areas of these initiatives. Multiple aspects of colon cancer care are being monitored, and the degree of adherence to accepted quality measures is being assessed. The purpose of this review is to describe the background leading to these initiatives and their expected impact on CRC screening and management in the VHA.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven 06516, USA.
authors.forename: Herta H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hersh
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hunnibell
authors.forename: George L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Dawn T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Provenzale
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schlosser
authors.forename: Luke M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Stapleton
authors.forename: Leah L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zullig
authors.forename: Michal G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Rose
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs