Financial Incentives to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in Priority Populations

Systems of Support (SOS) to Increase Colon Cancer Screening Disparities Supplement

The investigators propose to build on the success of the Systems of Support to Increase Colorectal Cancer trial (SOS, R01CA121125, Green) and focus on disparity groups who are less likely to be current for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We will test whether financial incentives increases screening uptake and decreases screening disparities. The investigators hypothesize that CRC screening rates will be higher in patients offered mailed fecal kits and financial incentives than those offered mailed fecal kits alone.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Colorectal Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Auto Mailing Plus Money; Behavioral: Auto Mailing Plus Lottery

Detailed Description

Study staff will send invitation letters and a questionnaire to 5,000 patients aged 50-75 not current for CRC screening, two-thirds who are identified in the electronic data as being from a non-White race, ethnicity, or who have Medicaid coverage. Those returning the survey and remaining eligible (estimated N = 1150) will be randomized to either (1) Mailed fecal kit only, or mailed fecal kit plus one of 2 types of financial incentives for completing testing: (2) a guaranteed Monetary incentive or (3) a probabilistic Lottery incentive.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 898
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98101
      • Group Health Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 50 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• No evidence in electronic data of FIT screening in past year or a colonoscopy in the prior 9 years.
• Continuously enrolled in Group Health Cooperative (GHC) for at least one year.
• Patients who have Medicaid coverage or are non-white race or Hispanic any race.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known high risk for CRC
• History of CRC
• History of inflammatory bowel disease
• Current anticoagulation therapy
• Organ failure
• Serious illness
• Debilitating disease
• Dementia
• Nursing home resident

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Screening
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Group 1 - Automated Mailing; The mailing process will be identical to those used in the SOS study. Mailing 1 includes an introductory letter on CRC screening and a pamphlet on CRC testing choices (colonoscopy every 10 years, FIT testing yearly, or flexible sigmoidoscopy every 10 years combined with interval FIT testing), and pros and cons of each. The letter will state that they will soon be receiving a FIT kit in the mail, and a number to call if they prefer another option. Mailing 2 includes a brief letter reaffirming the importance of screening, a FIT kit (the one used by Group Health), pictograph instructions, and a postage-paid return envelope. Mailing 3 a reminder letter, is sent to participants not completing the FIT kit after 3 weeks. The intervention for Group 1 includes no incentive.
Experimental: Group 2 - Auto Mailing Plus Money; Receives the same number of mailings and materials as group 1 with the following modifications. In Mailing 1 the letter will include the intervention notification that they will receive a monetary thank you gift for completing testing (FIT colonoscopy or flex sig within 6 months). Mailing 2 and mailing 3 (reminder letters for those still not returning kits) will include the same information about the monetary thank you gift for CRC screening completion. Mailing 4 will include the money with a thank you letter for those who complete the screening	Behavioral: Auto Mailing Plus Money; Participant receives money as a thank you for completing CRC screening within 6 months.
Experimental: Group 3 - Auto Mailing Plus Lottery; Receives the same number of mailings and materials as group 1 with the following modifications. In Mailing 1 the letter will include the intervention notification that they will have a 1 in 10 chance of winning money (FIT, colonoscopy or flex sig within 6 months). Mailing 2 and mailing 3 (reminder letters for those still not returning kits) will include the same information about the 1 in 10 chance of winning the lottery for CRC screening completion. Mailing 4 will include a thank you letter with money for those who complete their screening and win the lottery. Participants who do not win the lottery will receive a thank you letter.	Behavioral: Auto Mailing Plus Lottery; Participant has a 1 in 10 chance of winning money in a lottery for completing CRC screening within 6 months.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
CRC Screening Within 6 Months Following Randomization	We will compare among the 3 arms (1) automated mailing; (2) Auto mailing plus $10; (3) Auto mailing plus $50 lottery for completion and the effect of each on CRC screening completion at 6 months (yes/no) within the following subgroups of each arm: 1. White and not Hispanic versus non-White or Hispanic. 2. Medicaid versus non-Medicaid (Medicare, employer-based, private) insurance. 3. History of prior versus no prior completion of CRC screening tests. 4. High school or less versus college or more education level.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kaiser Permanente
• Collaborators: University of Michigan; University of Texas

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 23, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 2, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): November 2, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 31, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 9, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): March 15, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 5, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 4, 2019
• Last Verified: November 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Behavioral: Automated Mailing
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Colonic Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Intestinal Neoplasms; Rectal Diseases; Colorectal Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 4RO1CA121125-09 REVISED

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No