Introduction

This program was designed to accommodate the diverse needs and desires of patients seeking colon cancer screening within a unique healthcare environment  where the  "gold standard" is an invasive study. It allows select patients in excellent health to arrange for colonoscopy without first obtaining a face-to-face consultation with a gastroenterologist.

Approximately 3-4 years ago, several long term polyp growth studies concluded that the best way to prevent colon cancer in average risk adults is to periodically examine the entire colon (or large intestine). Flexible sigmoidoscopy, an exam that visualizes nearly one-third of the colon and once our  "gold standard," is now felt inadequate as a screening tool. Presently, colonoscopy and virtual colonoscopy are the only studies of sufficient accuracy and quality to screen the entire colon. Virtual colonoscopy, also known as CT colonography, is a relatively new examination that visualizes the colon but does not allow for polyp removal--its relative merits and weaknesses are discussed elsewhere.

Colonoscopy is a safe, but nonetheless invasive procedure. It is performed at a local surgery center, lasts approximately 20-40 minutes, and requires intravenous sedation. The patient is asleep during the entire exam--it would be quite painful if awake as the colon wall is stretched a bit as the colonoscope maneuvers around the turns in the colon.

It is generally advised that an office consultation be performed prior to colonoscopy. This allows a full detailing of the role of colon cancer screening, the various exams available, and the logistics and inherent risks involved. Furthermore, this visit allows the patient to discuss any medical problems or symptoms and become acquainted with the physician.

Some patients prefer to bypass the consultation and proceed directly to the exam. Easy Access Colonoscopy was designed for this purpose.

The advantages of direct access to colonoscopy are relatively straight forward. Healthy individuals who are under the care of a primary care physician believe that the streamlined process reduces the redundancy of another physician encounter, saves time, missed work hours, and is less costly. These are all true--the downsides include limited physician time to discuss the procedure and some degree of depersonalization.

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Who may be eligible for Easy Access Colonoscopy ?

1. Adults 50 yrs of age or greater in excellent or stable health
2. Adults 40 yrs of age or greater in excellent or stable health, with a prior history of colon polyps or cancer
3. Adults 40 yrs of age or greater in excellent or stable health, with a first degree relative (parent, sibling, child) previously diagnosed with colon cancer or colon polyps

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Who is not eligible for Easy Access Colonoscopy ?

1. Individuals experiencing intra-abdominal or gastrointestinal symptoms (this program does not allocate enough patient/physician interaction time to fully evaluate these problems--consultations better serve this purpose
2. Medicare recipients--sorry, Medicare demands a pre-colonoscopy consultation
3. Patients with an HMO-type insurance
4. Other patients whose insurance mandates a pre-colonoscopy consultation.
5. Individuals who, based upon their application, are felt to be of greater than average risk or too medically complex to bypass a face-to-face consultation.

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I'm interested. What will I have to do?

1. First, you have to do some homework. We've prepared a brief slide presentation on colon cancer screening for you to review if you are completely new to the concept of screening..
2. If you already have the general idea of where you're going, there is some more advanced  educational material on colonoscopy if you'd like to learn more.
3. Third, you'll need to complete a patient registration form and a medical history questionnaire
4. Next, you'll have to wait a few days for our nursing and physician staff to review your medical history.
5. Then, we'll contact you to ask or answer any additional questions, handle insurance issues if necessary, and schedule your exam.
6. You will be able to read or download and print preparation instructions from our site, or we can mail or fax them to you.
7. The entire process, including forms, documents and links to other needed information is laid out in orderly fashion further down this page.  Scroll or click here.

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Is there a fee for using Easy Access Colonoscopy?

Yes, sorry, but there is. Screening, scheduling, checking insurance status, etc are time consuming but important. Once your exam is scheduled, there is a $60.00 fee due to cover the administrative duties. Your insurance cannot be billed for this because we are not actually seeing you as a patient. If you or we subsequently decide that an office visit is more appropriate than direct colonoscopy access, this charge will not apply. If you must reschedule your colonoscopy, there are no additional fees. Conversely, if you decide to cancel your colonoscopy, there are no refunds since the administrative chores would have already been completed.

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Can you bill my insurance for the colonoscopy?

Yes we can. There are 2 or 3 components of the colonoscopy fee--the gastroenterologist's  professional fee for the colonoscopy and sedation, the facility (Greater Sacramento Surgery Center) fee, and if biopsies are taken, the pathologist's fees. California Advanced Gastroenterology handles only our fees. Prior to the exam, we'll notify you of the portion covered by your insurance company. We will ask you to pay the difference before the colonoscopy. Afterward, we will bill your insurance company for their portion.

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