The American Cancer Society and Color Health Announce Expansion of a Comprehensive Cancer Care Solution
Hasbro, Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund of Philadelphia & Vicinity, and Andersen Construction are among the customers using Color's program to increase awareness and screening adherence among their populations, paving the way for improved outcomes and reduced costs
ATLANTA and BURLINGAME, Calif. , March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cancer Society (ACS) and Color Health today announced an expansion of their program to form a comprehensive cancer solution for employers and labor unions to support their employee and member populations across all stages of the cancer journey. With this expansion, the Color and ACS program adds Color Medical clinical teams to manage any abnormal screening through confirmed diagnosis, specialized care for high-risk individuals, holistic support for employees in cancer treatment, and integrated clinical and mental health support for survivors.
Color is also sharing early results from a cohort pilot study on the program's impact. Participants were from diverse backgrounds, between the ages of 45 and 65, and behind on at least one cancer screening. Over eight weeks, participants were assessed on their risk for common cancers—breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer—based on guidelines from ACS, and given access to Color's clinical and care navigation team support. Key program outcomes include:
- 84% of participants increased their familiarity with the timing and frequency of cancer screening
- Guidelines-based screening adherence rates doubled to tripled in just eight weeks
- 89% of participants reported satisfaction with a Color clinician as "excellent" or "very good"
- 90% of participants said they would be interested in emotional or social support if they were to receive a cancer diagnosis
As part of the expanded program, Color is running a first-of-its-kind Virtual Cancer Clinic, which combines:
- In-house clinical care team that will include practicing physician teams, a specialist oncologist network, high-risk clinical coordinators, and genetic counselors. Every patient has access to a comprehensive care team of cancer experts.
- Integrated diagnostics and a nationwide imaging network, which will facilitate swift, high-quality screening and follow-up diagnostic care. The imaging network provides appointment availability in less than two weeks, significantly faster than the national average, and integrated at-home screening tests remove traditional barriers to access.
- Robust patient support that recognizes cancer is not only about clinical care. The program's proprietary and evidence-based peer support program, Color Cancer Connect, offers mental health support services, and Care Advocates take on logistical needs such as appointment scheduling and offer support on financial considerations of cancer prevention, detection, and care.
"Over the past year, we have heard from employers and funds across the U.S. who are asking for a single program and model that focuses equally on early detection as it does on cancer treatment support. We know that moving the needle on detection is the only thing that will cause a state change in cancer outcomes and costs," said Othman Laraki, CEO of Color. "We're recognizing the need for a comprehensive clinic approach, which really takes on clinical care and support while also lowering access barriers and thinking holistically about cancer -- which is not just a medical issue, but something that is far more complex."
"For the first time ever, we are expecting to see over two million new cancer diagnoses this year. While screening guidelines exist for many of the most common cancers, the challenge is ensuring Americans have the healthcare access they need. This doesn't stop at early detection. When a patient is faced with a cancer diagnosis, they need support at every step of the way," said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society. "ACS is proud to partner with Color Health to put the patient at the center, ensuring they not only have the best chance at a timely diagnosis, but that they also receive high-quality care with a team of clinicians to advocate for them, and that they still feel this support as survivors."
"Like many employers, cancer in our workforce is an issue not because it is worse than anywhere else, but because it is clear that lives can be saved from better care and access. We are so glad to have invested in our employees' lives with Color and are seeing great impact already on the dialogue around cancer care and prevention in our workforce, as well as on screening rates." said Noora Garnett, VP of Global Benefits for Hasbro International.
The expanded program supports the five following parts of cancer in a workforce:
- Education & Awareness: Curated by a team of cancer experts and designed to help employees and members improve engagement, increase evidence-based screening compliance, and identify future cancer risk.
- Evidence-based screening management: to help detect cancer as early as possible, a risk assessment is provided for guidance on when and how often employees and members should be screened using ACS's guidelines. The program provides both at-home distributed screenings and at-imaging networks through NCCN guidelines.
- Diagnosis Management: The program's clinicians bring deep expertise in managing a potential diagnosis through scheduling, logistics, and navigation. Upon diagnosis, Color connects employees and members to quality affordable care and treatment faster, saving time and money that is often stalled with duplicative appointments and administrative backlog.
- Cancer Treatment Support: through integrations with Centers of Excellence, treatment support is included for all employees and members with no additional fees. While only 20% of cancer patients are typically eligible for cancer support programs post-diagnosis, all participating employees and members are eligible for Color's services under the program.
- Survivorship: Quality care and support continue for employees and members in remission, the program ensures they have physical and mental health support as well as assistance managing the costs of continued care.
Last year, the American Cancer Society and Color Health announced a partnership that provides convenient, accessible, and comprehensive cancer prevention and screening solutions for the highest-burden cancers including breast, prostate, lung, cervical, and colorectal for more than 150 million Americans who receive health care through either their employer or union.
As part of the partnership, a portion of Color Health proceeds will help support the ACS mission. ACS does not provide medical or clinical care.
For more information on Color's Comprehensive Cancer Care Solution, please visit www.color.com/cancer.
About American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 100 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Color Health
Color is a complete platform for healthcare delivery, providing the technology, infrastructure, and logistics required to distribute large-scale health initiatives to diverse populations. Color works with employers, unions, government agencies, schools, and communities to provide equitable, accessible healthcare services. Color supports access for traditional and distributed workforces, as well as underserved communities, by removing barriers to care. Our model enables screening, counseling, and life-saving treatments to be utilized by more people, wherever they are. Connect with Color on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and www.color.com.
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SOURCE Color Health
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