National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable

The mission of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) is to advance colorectal cancer control efforts by improving communication, coordination, and collaboration among health agencies, medical-professional organizations, and the public. The ultimate goal of NCCRT is to increase the safe and effective use of proven colorectal cancer screening tests among the entire population for whom screening is appropriate, and for these standards to be supported by the relevant medical and specialty societies.

The NCCRT is a national coalition of more than 50 public, private, and voluntary organizations first convened in 1997 by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The organizations' members include cancer survivors, clinicians, scientists, patient advocates, health insurers, and corporate and government representatives. Currently, the ACS chairs the NCCRT and the CDC acts as a lead member organization. The NCCRT serves as a forum through which members share information, identify needs and opportunities, and address gaps in research, programs, activities, and services relating to colorectal cancer. It also provides leadership, advocacy, and long-range planning to reduce the national burden of colorectal cancer.

Partnership Activities

Through the efforts of three workgroups focused on provider education, public education, and health policy, the NCCRT identifies the educational needs and health messages for both health care providers and consumers and explores health care system and policy issues related to colorectal cancer. NCCRT partners with professional organizations, medical societies, federal agencies, consumers, cancer survivors, managed care organizations, private industry, health educators, state health departments, and the medical media to advance colorectal cancer issues. Together, the member organizations of NCCRT support one another's events for National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which has been held annually in March since 2000.

The NCCRT has been working with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)'s Committee on Performance Measurement to draft a tool that measures colorectal cancer screening rates among health plans. HEDIS (Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set) is a set of standardized performance measures of health insurance companies and are related to public health issues such as cancer. In May, 2003, NCQA approved the draft HEDIS measurement tool proposed by NCCRT. This measure will assess the proportion of eligible plan members between the ages of 50 and 85 who have received either fecal occult blood testing within the past year, flexible sigmoidoscopy within the past 5 years, colonoscopy within the past 10 years, or double contrast barium enema within the past 5 years.

National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable
www.nccrt.org*

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
Office of Program and Policy Information
Telephone: (770) 488-4751
Fax: (770) 488-4760

American Cancer Society
1599 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329-4251
Toll-free: (800) ACS-2345 (800-227-2345)
Telphone: (404) 329-5705
Fax: (404) 248-1780

*Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.