Workflow Services has signed a new agreement with Exact Sciences, a biotechnology company that develops tests designed to prevent, detect, and guide the successful treatment of cancer.

This new partnership brings the power of the Workflow Services platform, a full spectrum, front-to-back digital solution supporting point-of-care service delivery, to help educate eligible patients who visit the pharmacy on the importance of having a colorectal cancer screening. 

When detected at an early stage, colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of death from cancer in the US, is highly treatable in about 90 percent of cases. However, many patients eligible for screenings have difficulty accessing them for various reasons, including living in a rural community without local clinics or having limited access to a primary care provider. Many of these patients see their pharmacist regularly.

In this new approach, pharmacists are empowered to use the Workflow Services platform to educate patients about colorectal cancer screening options. For eligible and interested customers, pharmacists are then enabled to help patients learn more about the Cologuard test from Exact Sciences. Cologuard is a unique and highly effective at-home colon cancer screening test that requires no prep, dietary changes, or sedation. 

"Being able to screen additional eligible patients and help to prevent colorectal cancer is an excellent example of what we mean when we talk about pharmacies evolving into important community healthcare destinations," said Kevin Houlihan, President and CEO of Workflow Services and ImageMover.

"In some cases, the hardest-to-reach populations are seeing their pharmacist once a month, compared to only once a year for a primary care provider—if they even have a primary care provider. When you consider that public-opinion polls consistently rank pharmacists as one of the most trusted professions in the country, a possible cancer screening is an important message for them to share with the patients they see," he added.

"We are deeply committed to advancing healthcare equity and accessibility," said Jake Orville, EVP and General Manager, Screening, Exact Sciences.

"It's important for vital screenings like Cologuard to be convenient and accessible for eligible patients, and through strategic initiatives like this with Workflow Services and their pharmacy partners, we can help people who may not otherwise be screened for colorectal cancer get access to a convenient, high-quality cancer screening," commented Orville.

Studies by the National Cancer Institute show that colon cancer is treatable in about 90 percent of people when caught in the early stages. For patients with average risk factors, the American Cancer Society recommends they get screened starting at age 45.