CQC Webinar: Addressing Disparities in Colorectal Cancer

Slide Deck & Recording: 

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. Due to factors such as structural racism and barriers to health care and preventive services, Black Americans have a 20% higher incidence of colorectal cancer and a 40% higher death rate from the disease than white Americans.  

In honor of March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the California Quality Collaborative (CQC), a quality improvement program of the Purchaser Group on Health, hosted a webinar on March 20th, 2024 where we addressed disparities in colorectal cancer screening and treatment and answered the question: what can patients, providers, health plans and purchasers do to advance equitable colorectal cancer care?  

This webinar supports CQC’s Equity and Quality at Independent Practices in LA County improvement collaborative for primary care practices and independent physician associations focused on reducing health disparities for Medi-Cal enrollees of color. 

Speakers:  

• David Ford, Senior Government Relations Manager, Southern California Edison and Board Member, American Cancer Society West Region Los Angeles, will share his perspective as a colorectal cancer survivor. 
• Folasade May, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Quality, and Director of the May Laboratory at UCLA Health, will highlight the provider perspective as a physician and champion of disparities reduction in cancer care. 
• Taylor Priestley, MSW, MPH, Health Equity Officer, Director Health Equity & Quality Transformation, Covered California, will discuss Covered California’s efforts to address disparities in colorectal cancer screening by including the colorectal cancer screening measure within the Quality Transformation Initiative Measure Set. 

During this webinar, we:  

• Reviewed disparities in colorectal cancer screening and treatment 
• Heard patient, provider and payer perspectives on addressing colorectal cancer disparities  
• Understood actionable steps to advance equitable colorectal cancer care  

This webinar is intended for health plans and provider organizations, typically medical groups and independent practice associations, as well as mid-sized practices.