In the early detection of colorectal cancer, not everything always goes smoothly. There are undesirable developments and weaknesses alongside good and well-developed achievements in Germany’s colorectal cancer screening program.
The professional association of gastroenterologists in private practice in Germany recently pointed out this shortcoming in its white paper „Organized colorectal cancer screening, historical development, current status, and undesirable developments.“ The concerns relate primarily to privately insured patients who are not automatically contacted and invited by their health insurers to participate in the colorectal cancer screening program and do not receive the systematic recording of the findings.
In the view of the authors of the BNG, the Association of Private Health Insurers must participate in the invitation process so that no disadvantages arise for privately insured persons. In addition, data protection concerns and other issues and obstacles block the pooling of current and historical data sets that are important for the evaluation of the screening program.
The BNG also criticizes electronic data transfer in all gastroenterology stakeholders in the German healthcare system. For example, program evaluation does not function smoothly because gastroenterologists, or rather service providers who perform endoscopies, associations of panel doctors, and commissioned „Gesundheitsforen Leipzig“ (Leipzig Health Forums) as the implementing healthcare providers involved in early detection program evaluation do not pull together sufficiently.
Source: www.aerzteblatt.de