ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioIQ, a healthcare technology company that enables organizations to better connect with their populations to achieve health improvement goals, today announced a new initiative to educate veterans and legislators on the importance of easy-to-use tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and the need for those tests to be simple, convenient and private.
The initiative supports the outreach of the Veteran’s Administration (VA), as well as other organizations, in highlighting the importance of such screenings and how the availability of newer in-home tests can help veterans in rural areas or without access to transportation, better access this important screening.
Tracel Wilt, an army veteran who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and now vice president of Government Relations for BioIQ, is helping lead the company’s initiative. The outreach effort includes communicating with key legislators about the risk factors veterans face for CRC; the value provided by simple-to-use, in-home tests that are supported by BioIQ’s automated engagement solutions; and how tests that get done can help save thousands of lives.
“CRC is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths,” said Wilt. “We must better educate the nation’s veteran community about colon cancer, and do all we can to maximize participation in screening programs. Our test is done in the privacy of a home or other setting the veteran prefers. It’s very quick, easy and takes away the fear factor many patients have about time-consuming and invasive colonoscopies.”
The VA has made it a priority to screen its patients ages 50-75 for CRC. There are three primary screening methods, including colonoscopy, used by the VA. In the past few years, the VA also began encouraging the use of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), which also detects CRC signs and can be conducted at home.
Results from a pilot program conducted by the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, showed that a majority of patients reported being more likely to participate in a yearly FIT than the more invasive colonoscopy. The article also noted, “Participants overwhelmingly reported that the FIT was easy to use and convenient (89%), and being likely to complete a mailed FIT each year (97%).”
BioIQ, the company pioneering easy-to-access FIT programs for a wide range of populations, currently works with 20 health plans nationwide, and helps to streamline screening and close gaps in care by automating the workflow involved in testing, from engagement to results.
“BioIQ is committed to helping all populations achieve 80% compliance with CRC screening guidelines by 2018,” said Justin Bellante, CEO and founder of BioIQ. “If we can educate legislators and veterans about this simple, private test, and ensure its availability is communicated to all veterans, we can better implement a stronger screening program and together reach and exceed our nation’s CRC screening goals.”
About BioIQ
BioIQ is a healthcare technology company that enables organizations to connect with their populations, measure vital health metrics, and achieve health improvement goals. BioIQ works with some of the largest employers and health companies in the nation. Since its inception in 2005, BioIQ has launched thousands of successful health improvement programs serving millions of participants.
