Q&A: Cancer Screening Saves Lives

Q&A: Cancer Screening Saves Lives

With U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley

Q: How are you working to improve access to cancer care for Iowans?

A: Too many families in Iowa are facing a cancer diagnosis impacting a loved one, neighbor or co-worker. Our state has the second highest incidence of new cancer in the country. Fortunately, we are home to amazing healthcare providers who provide high quality, cutting-edge cancer care, including at the University of Iowa, a National Cancer Institute's Comprehensive Cancer Center. From my own family's experience, I know how important early detection is for treatment and survival. My wife Barbara is a nearly 40-year cancer survivor and takes every opportunity to raise awareness for cancer screening during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and every day of the year. As your senator, I know raising awareness is only one part of the solution. Improving access to cancer care - including screening, diagnostics and treatment - is why I worked at the federal policymaking tables to secure a historic investment in rural healthcare that was included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. In its first year, the Rural Health Transformation Fund delivered $209 million to hospitals and clinics across our state. A large share of the initial funding stream already has been invested to expand cancer care close to home. The awards distributed so far through Iowa's Healthy Hometowns initiative have been used to establish rural cancer care hubs and target radon testing and mitigation, skin cancer detection, colorectal, breast and lung cancer screening and more, including:

• Pella Regional Health Center in Pella used the money to purchase equipment to detect cancers in the body and recruit a nurse to support its radiation oncology department;
• Jones Medical Center in Anamosa used the money to buy a surgical robot, expanding options for cancer patients and recruiting surgeons;
• Burgess Health Center in Onawa used the money to buy an advanced mammography system to help detect breast cancer sooner and save lives;
• Lucas County Health Center in Chariton used the money to buy its first-ever MRI machine to bring early detection cancer screenings to local residents;
• North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City used the money to buy a new robotic bronchoscopy system to detect lung cancer earlier;
• Newton Medical Center in Newton used the money to replace decades-old equipment to improve cancer screenings;
• Unity Point-Trinity in Muscatine used the money to buy robotic surgical technology that allows for smaller incisions, less pain, lower risk of infection and faster recovery times for patients;
• Wayne County Hospital in Corydon used the money for a radiation oncology center that will serve as a combat cancer health hub.

In October, I led the Iowa congressional delegation in a letter urging the Trump administration to support Iowa's latest funding request for its Healthy Hometowns plan. These federal dollars already have been a game changer in improving access to cancer care and expanding the healthcare workforce in rural areas. More is on the way. Over the five-year funding window, Iowa will receive a minimum of $100 million annually through the Rural Health Transformation Fund.

Q: How would your bipartisan SCREENS Act improve cancer patient outcomes?

A: Cancer screenings improve early detection that enables earlier medical intervention that can improve patient outcomes and reduce mortality. However, cancer screening recommendations are often complex, fragmented and difficult for providers to interpret for patients under their medical care. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I've introduced bipartisan legislation to help fix this problem and improve screening protocols to help save lives.

The Standardized Cancer Recommendations for Earlier Evaluation and Navigation of Screenings (SCREENS) Act would make cancer screening recommendations more accessible and transparent. Specifically, it would direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a user-friendly national framework for cancer screening recommendations that would help providers identify at-risk patients or who may be overdue for a screening. Technology tools can help improve continuity of cancer screening programs by empowering patients to make informed decisions about their own care when they have access to patient-facing tools to assess federal guidelines and screening recommendations. For example, the Cancer Screen Iowa tool and the University of Utah Health's Decision Precision+ show how technology and an integrated platform can help patients and providers make informed decisions when guidelines, technology and data are integrated in a one-stop shop at your fingertips. Americans are accustomed to digital platforms and mobile apps for use in everyday life. The same option should apply to their own health for lifesaving cancer screening recommendations.

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