The Article in Brief

Racial and ethnic minorities, low-income persons, and those who are uninsured or insured by Medicaid are more likely to have poor cancer outcomes. This may be due, in part, to lower use of screening tests. The "Cancer Screening Office Systems" program--a low-cost, non-computerized program--increased the use of screening tests in primary care practices serving these groups. The program focused on 3 cancer-screening tests: mammograms, Pap smears, and fecal occult blood tests (a test for digestive system problems including colon cancer). As part of the program, patients completed a checklist about when they last received cancer-screening tests. The medical office used a series of stickers on medical records to show whether cancer-screening tests were due, ordered, or completed. In addition, office staff members were assigned specific roles in carrying out the program.