March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Utah Health Organizations Announce Measurable Success in Colorectal Cancer Screening Through Screen Utah Initiative

Salt Lake City, UT — March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and it highlights a stark reality in Utah: despite being highly preventable through early detection, colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death for men and women combined. Over the past year, healthcare organizations–convened by the One Utah Health Collaborative–across Utah have taken coordinated action to reverse that trend, strengthening access to timely, affordable, and complete colorectal cancer (CRC) screening statewide. 

More than twenty payers, health systems, clinics, and community partners participated in the Screen Utah Initiative and have released the Screen Utah: Impact Progress Report, documenting concrete actions taken over the past year to strengthen access, affordability, and completion of CRC screening statewide.n

“This initiative is a clear example of what makes a collaborative approach different,” said Scott Barlow, Executive Director of the One Utah Health Collaborative. “We convene organizations that may compete in the marketplace but are united in fixing systemic challenges for patients. The dedication of our partners has been inspiring, and it’s helping create a stronger, more coordinated healthcare system for Utah.”

Actions Driving Progress Across the State:

The Impact Progress Report highlights four areas where organizations have concentrated their efforts:

• Saving people money by reducing unexpected patient costs, clarifying preventive coverage, and expanding access to lower-cost screening options
  
• Reducing system costs through appropriate use of non-invasive tests, streamlined coverage policies, and lower administrative burden
  
• Supporting patient care with stronger outreach, navigation, and culturally relevant education to improve screening completion
  
• Empowering clinicians through clearer workflows, improved documentation guidance, and decision support that reinforces preventive intent
  

The progress documented in the report reflects independent action by participating organizations, reinforced through transparency, shared learning, and peer accountability.

“Coming together with colleagues from across the healthcare community gave us a broader perspective on the challenges patients face,” said Dr. Chris Wood, Chief Medical Officer of Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators. “Seeing the challenges from multiple perspectives helped us recognize where we could improve and take meaningful action. When organizations align around a shared goal, even incremental changes can collectively have a systemwide impact.”

Looking Ahead

In 2026, participating partners will continue to monitor CRC screening rates, support adoption of shared guidance, and embed improvements into standard practice to ensure gains are durable over time.

The full Screen Utah: Impact Progress Report is available here. 

Participating Organizations

The following organizations are actively contributing to the Screen Utah initiative and have shown measurable progress over the past year:   

• Aetna
• American Cancer Society 
• Bolder Way Forward 
• Cigna
• Comagine Health  
• CommonSpirit
• Community Health Centers
• DMBA
• Granger Medical
• Granite Peaks Gastroenterology
• HCA MountainStar
• HCI
• Health Choice Utah
• Health Management Associates  
• Intermountain Health
• Leavitt Group 
• Molina
• Ogden Clinic
• PEHP
• Regence BCBS
• Revere Health
• SelectHealth
• Tanner Clinic
• U Health
• U Health Plans
• United Healthcare / Optum Health
• Utah Department of Health and Human Services  
• Utah Gastroenterology
• Utah Medicaid

About Screen Utah

Screen Utah is a statewide effort organized by the One Utah Health Collaborative focused on improving access to complete, affordable colorectal cancer screening through coordinated action among payers, providers, health systems, public health, and community partners.For more information about Screen Utah, click here.

About the One Utah Health Collaborative

Launched in 2022, the One Utah Health Collaborative (the Collaborative) is a neutral, community-owned nonprofit dedicated to improving healthcare affordability in Utah. Utah spends more than $19 billion each year on healthcare, growing at an unsustainable annual per-person rate of 9.2% without proportional improvements in quality. The Collaborative exists to unite leaders across the public and private sectors to tackle this issue together. 

For more information about the One Utah Health Collaborative, click here.  

For interviews or other media inquires, please contact: info@uthealthcollaborative.org