March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Preventive Screenings Can Save Lives

(March 4, 2010, Oklahoma City, Ok) -- March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and the Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality (OFMQ) encourages people to seek routine screenings that can help prevent cancer or detect it early when it can be treated most effectively.

“A routine screen can give patients peace of mind, and early detection can improve the likelihood of surviving cancer,” said Dale Bratzler, DO, MPH, president and CEO of OFMQ. “Everyone should be proactive in seeking preventive care and taking action to avoid illness and chronic conditions,” he said.

Medicare provides coverage of colorectal cancer screenings. All Medicare beneficiaries age 50 and older are covered; however, when an individual is at high risk, there is no minimum age required to receive a screening colonoscopy or a barium enema rendered in place of the screening colonoscopy.

For more information about colorectal cancer, please visit the Prevent Cancer Foundation at http://www.preventcancer.org/education3c.aspx?id=1036