Follow-up colonoscopy rates after a positive stool-based test range from 24-75%, according to NCQA. Same test, same result, very different odds that the whole screening continuum actually gets completed.
That spread has been invisible in quality reporting. HEDIS scored health plans on whether members were screened for colorectal cancer, not on what happened when a stool-based test came back positive. Members who fell out between the result and the follow up colonoscopy counted the same as members who completed the continuum.
That changes with Follow-Up After Positive Colorectal Cancer Non-Invasive Screening Test (COF-E), which NCQA added to HEDIS for measurement year 2027. Plans will report whether members ages 45-75 with a positive result received the follow up colonoscopy, and most quality teams do not yet have the data or the workflows to answer reliably.
This session will cover the measure’s intent and specifications, how it fits alongside the existing colorectal cancer screening measure (COL-E), and what plans should be thinking through ahead of the measurement year.
Insights include:
- The intent behind COF-E and how it complements COL-E
- Why a timely follow up colonoscopy is what completes the screening
- Why test choice matters: one decision shapes HEDIS performance across both measures
- How to capture COF-E completion across labs, providers and claims