Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening and Care in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has recently launched several nationwide initiatives to improve the quality of its colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and care. The timeliness of follow-up diagnostic tests in patients who have positive noncolonoscopic CRC screening tests is one of the target areas of these initiatives. Multiple aspects of colon cancer care are being monitored, and the degree of adherence to accepted quality measures is being assessed. The purpose of this review is to describe the background leading to these initiatives and their expected impact on CRC screening and management in the VHA.