Guidelines for screening colon ca., what is the point?

pia123run
pia123run Member Posts: 33
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I read an article on the ACS web. The article mentioned " Doctors often don't follow guidlines for screening colon cancer" Are docs being punished in any way if they do not follow the guidelines? anyone know what is being done about this? The article is Take-home Kit Beats in-office stool test for colon cancer ( why have guidlines if docs do not follow them? what is the point?)

Comments

  • markatger
    markatger Member Posts: 314
    #2
    Hi Pia,

    I'm not sure if you are referring to the standard guidleine of colonscopy by age 60. I am interested in guidlelines that should be followed doctors when a patient presents with gastointestinal symptoms.

    I had rectal bleeding for years that was misdiagnosed. Now I have stage IV cancer. I am a youngish person (34 this month). I'm not sure what the guidleines are at present for when a colonoscopy are to be ordered for young people. I have heard some rules about if you have a family history then you should be tested 10 years prior to their dx, but unsure what other guidelines exist.

    I would like to see more guidlines regarding symptoms...if you have bleeding or other symptoms...that means you autmatically get a colonscopy scheduled. They are not that expensive...less that $500. My treatment now that I am stage IV is costing the insurance company about a $250,000 dollars. Ridiculous.

    Maria
  • jana11
    jana11 Member Posts: 705
    #3
    markatger said:

    Hi Pia,

    I'm not sure if you are referring to the standard guidleine of colonscopy by age 60. I am interested in guidlelines that should be followed doctors when a patient presents with gastointestinal symptoms.

    I had rectal bleeding for years that was misdiagnosed. Now I have stage IV cancer. I am a youngish person (34 this month). I'm not sure what the guidleines are at present for when a colonoscopy are to be ordered for young people. I have heard some rules about if you have a family history then you should be tested 10 years prior to their dx, but unsure what other guidelines exist.

    I would like to see more guidlines regarding symptoms...if you have bleeding or other symptoms...that means you autmatically get a colonscopy scheduled. They are not that expensive...less that $500. My treatment now that I am stage IV is costing the insurance company about a $250,000 dollars. Ridiculous.

    Maria

    Hi. I am a doctor, who had rectal bleeding for almost a year before my doc agreed to a colonoscopy - only after I insisted. Reason being I am so young and healthy.

    The standard of care (way things should be done) is that anyone suffering from rectal bleeding that doesn't resolved within a few weeks should get a colonscopy!!

    Yes, unfortunately, there are far too many doctors out there who don't follow the standard of care. UGH. j
  • big_al
    big_al Member Posts: 15
    #4
    jana11 said:

    Hi. I am a doctor, who had rectal bleeding for almost a year before my doc agreed to a colonoscopy - only after I insisted. Reason being I am so young and healthy.

    The standard of care (way things should be done) is that anyone suffering from rectal bleeding that doesn't resolved within a few weeks should get a colonscopy!!

    Yes, unfortunately, there are far too many doctors out there who don't follow the standard of care. UGH. j

    I think sometimes the "standard of care" is really dictated by what the insurance company will pay for. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy at age 55, but was also complaining of hemmoroids. I was told that the insurance company wouldn't pay because of the complaint.
    So I got a sigmoidoscopy instead. Needless to say I had a tumor in my ascending colon which wasn't found at the time. So now I get to experience all that chemo, etc. Of course my insurance is now paying through the nose if that's any consolation.

    big_al
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    #5
    This subject is one of my pet peeves. Yes you are right big_al about your insurance money paying through the nose but where are they getting the money to do that? From us!!!!!!! Part of our salaries go toward health insurance. It's called a "loaded" salary. While you may make $50,000 a year in pay, your benefits, vacation, holiday pay, all of those things get added to it so it comes out that someone who makes $50,000 actually cost the employer $125,000-$150,000 !!!!!! Sure insurance companies make some money but they don't pay for anything, we do!!!!!! So who is making all the money out of this, check out the profit margins of all the pharmeceutical companies!!!! It's all about money. They don't care if we heal or get well, they just want to peddle drugs legally. Personally I'd like to hear more about prevention, then cure!!!!!Our cancer is one of the most preventable there is and I would prefer that NO ONE ever has to go thru what I have.

    I say colonoscopies are required starting at age 20 and if clean, have one every 10 years. It's that simple. Pisses me off too!!!!!!!!

    Lisa P.
  • big_al
    big_al Member Posts: 15
    #6
    scouty said:

    This subject is one of my pet peeves. Yes you are right big_al about your insurance money paying through the nose but where are they getting the money to do that? From us!!!!!!! Part of our salaries go toward health insurance. It's called a "loaded" salary. While you may make $50,000 a year in pay, your benefits, vacation, holiday pay, all of those things get added to it so it comes out that someone who makes $50,000 actually cost the employer $125,000-$150,000 !!!!!! Sure insurance companies make some money but they don't pay for anything, we do!!!!!! So who is making all the money out of this, check out the profit margins of all the pharmeceutical companies!!!! It's all about money. They don't care if we heal or get well, they just want to peddle drugs legally. Personally I'd like to hear more about prevention, then cure!!!!!Our cancer is one of the most preventable there is and I would prefer that NO ONE ever has to go thru what I have.

    I say colonoscopies are required starting at age 20 and if clean, have one every 10 years. It's that simple. Pisses me off too!!!!!!!!

    Lisa P.

    Lisa, you are right of course, I was just blowing off steam. As you correctly point out, we all pay. In my case my employer pays my insurance, but guess what--my employer is the State of Texas, and of course we all know where they get their money.

    I agree about colonoscopies. My case (and many others), point out the foolishness of their cost-benefit analysis, or whatever it is.

    big al
  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #7
    Crapshoot is the keyword in this thread..see
    http://www.jco.org/cgi/content/full/17/4/1312#TBL31312
    Although this is dated 1999, it will give you ammo for an intelligent discussionwith your docs..also, word search "Surveillence Guidlines" on this site for semi-colon responses to this article. Bud
  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #8
    nanuk said:

    Crapshoot is the keyword in this thread..see
    http://www.jco.org/cgi/content/full/17/4/1312#TBL31312
    Although this is dated 1999, it will give you ammo for an intelligent discussionwith your docs..also, word search "Surveillence Guidlines" on this site for semi-colon responses to this article. Bud

    sorry about the misspelling..search the phrase "ASCO Guidelines For Surveillance of Colorectal Cancer" to come up with all the threads

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