FCRC Beyond Blue Fall 2021 - Flipbook - Page 23
PATIENT Story
ADVOCACY
“It is more important now than
ever that we remove barriers
and increase access to colorectal
cancer screening,” said Anjee
Davis, president of Fight CRC.
“Unlike many cancers, colorectal
cancer can be prevented if
caught early, and we need to
take advantage of all the tools
in our toolbox.”
At Fight CRC, we believe patients
should work with their doctor to
select the test that works best
for them. Ultimately, the best test
is the one that gets done. So, it
is important that no matter how
patients choose to be screened,
they are able to complete the
full screening process without
financial barriers.
Advocating for
SCREENING
OPTIONS
HOME CHEF
JENNIFER RATNER
Stage I Survivor • New York City
When COVID-19 hit,
Jennifer Ratner, a
pediatrician in NYC, saw
it as an opportunity to
dive into her hobbies of
cooking and baking.
A foodie who enjoyed frequently dining
at her city’s amazing restaurants, Ratner
signed up for online cooking classes and
began experimenting with a variety of new
ingredients and spices from her apartment
on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. While it
wasn’t cooking for 30 people like she was
used to, she enjoyed trying something new.
Ratner also found that the online classes
brought even more variety to her
pescatarian diet, something she began
after being diagnosed with stage I colon
cancer in 2018. “I was a healthy eater and
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in great shape prior to my diagnosis,”
she said, but added, “I was looking for
a reason I got colorectal cancer, and
changing my diet was an easy thing to
do.” As a physician, she understands
there’s not a “straight line to the data” and
even some controversy over which foods
cause cancer, but she viewed cutting out
some of the foods that are tied to higher
incidence of CRC as a simple way to eat
for cancer prevention.
“I didn’t typically have bacon at home, but I
stopped ordering it at restaurants, and the
same with pancetta on a salad and smoked
salmon.” She discontinued ordering steaks
and stuck to lean, white meats and shrimp,
even while dining out.
Because of her medical background, she’s
been able to review the data on diet,
nutrition, and exercise. She has made
choices that work best for her lifestyle.
To other patients who are exploring
what to eat following a CRC diagnosis,
she encourages them to keep trying, to
remember nothing is entirely written in
stone, and to work hand in hand with your
doctor and nutritionist to find a plan that
works best for you.
“There are important, specific questions
for patients to ask—talk to your physician
and nutritionist about things like tree
nuts, red and processed meats, coffee,
vitamins, supplements, and the glycemic
load of your diet. If you’re not happy with
the answers, go to someone else. That’s
what I did. Don’t be afraid to keep asking
around. A group like Fight CRC can help
guide you to reliable resources. Ask for
publications, nutrition guidelines, and food
recommendations.
There’s so much
information out there—
go find it.”
Non-invasive colorectal cancer (CRC)
screening tests are a key tool to help
address disparities in screening, and
the impact of COVID-19 on CRC screening
further emphasized the importance of
having these options.
Earlier this year, a CBS News
story highlighted a significant
challenge in access to colorectal
cancer screening by featuring
a woman who received a
positive result from an at-home,
non-invasive CRC screening
test (Cologuard®) and needed
a follow-up colonoscopy.
Fortunately, she did not have CRC,
but unfortunately, this patient
was hit with a nearly $2,000 bill.
The story highlighted an issue
that we have seen arise with
any non-invasive CRC screening
test—like FIT and Cologuard®.
If a patient receives a positive
result on a non-invasive screening
test, a follow-up colonoscopy
is necessary to complete the
screening process. Unfortunately,
many patients face out-ofpocket costs for that follow-up
colonoscopy, creating a barrier to
completing screening.
While colonoscopy is still the
gold standard of CRC screening,
at-home, non-invasive tests
provide an important option for
those at average risk who may
be hesitant to get a colonoscopy.
Non-invasive CRC screening tests
are a key tool to help address
disparities in CRC screening,
and the impact of COVID-19
on CRC screening further
emphasized the importance
of having these options.
This is why
we’re engaging
policymakers—to
ensure patients
have options.
Medicaid Services (CMS) to urge
them to remove out-of-pocket
costs for patients needing a
colonoscopy after a positive noninvasive test.
At the state level, we’ve worked
through our Catalyst State-byState Advocacy Program to
provide funding and technical
assistance to coalitions working
to implement this policy. To date,
legislation removing out-ofpocket costs for patients has
been signed into law in Arkansas,
Rhode Island, Texas, Maine,
Oregon, and Kentucky.
Thanks to our Catalyst program,
our advocacy efforts have
grown, and we’re now rallying
advocates to push for better
CRC screening policies within
their states. We’ve seen great
strides forward over the past two
years, and we’re looking forward
to what’s ahead. There’s great
momentum happening.
We can’t keep up this momentum
without you. Your stories and your
voices are incredibly powerful.
Want to join us? A great place to
start is to learn who your local
lawmakers are, and to check out
FightCRC.org/advocacy to see
what’s happening in your state
around CRC screening.
And finally, make sure you’re
signed up as an advocate so that
when it’s time to speak out and
get loud, you’re ready.
Over the past year, Fight CRC has
been working at the state and
federal levels to ensure no patient
faces this burdensome out-ofpocket cost in order to complete
their CRC screening process.
At the federal level, we have
worked with our partners at the
American Cancer Society Cancer
Action Network (ACS CAN) and
the American Gastroenterological
Association (AGA) to engage
the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), as well
as the Centers for Medicare and
JOIN US
BE AN ADVOCATE
See page 32 for
details and visit
CallonCongress.org.
MOLLY MCDONNELL is Fight CRC's
Director of Advocacy
FOLLOW MOLLY!
@MollyFightCRC
Join the Fight at FIGHTCRC.ORG
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