Colorectal cancer screening solutions

Exploring the Cologuard® test to meet your system’s challenges
A health system leader and staff are seated around a conference table in a meeting.

We understand the challenges facing health systems

Closing the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening gap is a way to improve quality and CRC outcomes and enhance patient experiences. It's time to consider a collaborator who can deliver more with CRC screenings—more scalability, more insights, and more solutions.
An estimated 60 million Americans are due for CRC screening.1
CRC remains “the most preventable, yet least prevented, cancer.”2 An estimated 60 million average-risk patients aged 45 years and older remain eligible for CRC screening.1 National CRC screening rates remain well below established goals.3,4
CRC screening rates by demographic indicators.
Recognizing health disparities’ impact on CRC screening
Low CRC screening rates affect all age, race, and ethnic populations. Many people in underserved communities are not up to date with recommended CRC screenings.3*  
We know the potential patient barriers to CRC screening5,6
  • No family history of CRC
  • Lack of symptoms
  • Procrastination
  • Racial disparities
  • Cost
  • Transportation issues
  • Required time away from work
  • Fear and bowel prep concerns about colonoscopy
  • Lack of doctor recommendations
Healthcare provider discussing CRC screening with a patient who is sitting on an exam table.
And we strive to work alongside you to overcome those barriers through:
Optimized workflows
Optimizing workflows to help achieve CRC screening goals and improve quality measure scores
HIT infrastructure
Promoting efficiency by maximizing the capabilities of your Health Information Technology (HIT) infrastructure
Cologuard tests
Delivering CRC screening for average-risk patients aged 45+ years with the Cologuard test and Cologuard Plus™ test, our latest innovation with improved specificity and sensitivity.7,8
3 years of credits
Offering the only guideline-recommended noninvasive CRC screening test applicable for 3 years of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) credits9-12†‡
10+ years in market13
Helping more patients together than we ever could alone
We are well-positioned to support you in your efforts to increase screening rates. Our Cologuard test, a stool DNA-based colorectal cancer screening test for average-risk individuals aged 45 or older, has been in the market for over 10 years.7,13 We can help more patients together with our latest innovation, the Cologuard Plus test. We have a strong history of collaborating with health systems to develop multidisciplinary, standardized, and scalable CRC screening solutions.
Logos for Cologuard and Cologuard Plus.
We are proud to collaborate with:
American College of Healthcare Executives or leaders who care® logo.
See our page within ACHE.org for on-demand webinars, videos, case studies, and articles about increasing CRC screening.
AMGA™ Chairman's Circle logo.
We support educational programs and a 22-month Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative.
Connect with us
Explore how we can support your health system's goals for improving CRC screening rates.
Increase your system’s CRC screening rates with the Cologuard test
Workflow optimization with Exact Sciences

Footnotes and references

  1. Up to date denotes testing with any recommended test within the appropriate time interval (10 years, 5 years, 3 years, or annually).3
  2. The USPSTF-recommended screening frequency for sDNA-FIT is every 1 to 3 years.9 The ACS recommended screening interval for mt-sDNA is every 3 years.10 Guidelines may refer to the Cologuard test by different names, including mt-sDNA, FIT-fecal DNA, sDNA, and sDNA-FIT.
  3. sDNA (ie, Cologuard test) is one of the methods permitted for patients at average risk aged 45 to 75 years as part of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) HEDIS® quality measures for colon cancer screening. Third parties creating guidelines and quality measures do not specifically endorse commercial products, and inclusion in same does not imply otherwise. HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).14

ACS=American Cancer Society; FIT=fecal immunochemical test;  mt-sDNA=multitarget stool DNA; NCQA=National Committee for Quality Assurance; USPSTF=United States Preventive Services Task Force.


  1. Ebner DW, Kisiel JB, Fendrick AM, et al. Estimated average-risk colorectal cancer screening-eligible population in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e245537.
  2. Itzkowitz SH. Incremental advances in excremental cancer detection tests. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101(18):1225-1227.
  3. American Cancer Society. Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2023-2025. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2023.
  4. 80% in every community. National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://nccrt.org/80-in-every-community/
  5. 2019 colorectal cancer screening messaging guidebook: recommended messages to reach the unscreened. National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://nccrt.org/resource/2019messagingguidebook/
  6. Jones RM, Devers KJ, Kuzel AJ, Woolf SH. Patient-reported barriers to colorectal cancer screening: a mixed-methods analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38(5):508-516.
  7. Cologuard® Clinician Brochure. Madison, WI: Exact Sciences Corporation.
  8. Cologuard Plus™ Clinician Brochure. Madison, WI: Exact Sciences Corporation.
  9. Davidson KW, Barry MJ, Mangione CM, et al. Screening for colorectal cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2021;325(19)1965-1977.
  10. Wolf AMD, Fontham ETH, Church TR, et al. Colorectal cancer screening for average-risk adults: 2018 guideline update from the American Cancer Society. CA Cancer J Clin. 2108;68(4):250-281.
  11. NCQA updates HEDIS measure for colorectal cancer screening. Healio. October 6, 2016. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.healio.com/news/gastroenterology/20161006/ncqa-updates-hedis-measure-for-colorectal-cancer-screening
  12. Colorectal cancer screening (COL, COL-E). National Committee for Quality Assurance. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.ncqa.org/hedis/measures/colorectal-cancer-screening/
  13. FDA approves Exact Sciences’ Cologuard®; first and only stool DNA noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test. News release. Exact Sciences Corporation. August 12, 2014. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://investor.exactsciences.com/investor-relations/press-releases/press-release-details/2014/FDA-Approves-Exact-Sciences-Cologuard-First-and-Only-Stool-DNA-Noninvasive-Colorectal-Cancer-Screening-Test/default.aspx
  14. Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) Measurement Year 2022 Volume 2: Technical Update. National Committee for Quality Assurance. March 31, 2022. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.ncqa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MY-2022-Vol-2-Technical-Update.pdf

Important Information about the Cologuard products


Indications for Use

The Cologuard® and Cologuard Plus™ tests are intended for the qualitative detection of colorectal neoplasia associated DNA markers and for the presence of occult hemoglobin in human stool. A positive result may indicate the presence of colorectal cancer (CRC) or advanced adenoma (AA)/advanced precancerous lesions (APL) and should be followed by a colonoscopy. The Cologuard test and Cologuard Plus test are indicated to screen adults of either sex, 45 years or older, who are at average risk for CRC. These tests are not a replacement for diagnostic colonoscopy or surveillance colonoscopy in high-risk individuals.

Contraindications

The Cologuard products are not for high-risk individuals, including patients who have the following:

  • a personal history of colorectal cancer and adenomas
  • a positive result from another colorectal cancer screening method within a test recommended timeframe
  • have been diagnosed with a condition associated with high risk for colorectal cancer such as IBD, chronic ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease
  • have a family history of colorectal cancer, or certain hereditary syndromes

Warnings and Precautions

All positive results should be referred to colonoscopy.

The Cologuard products may produce false positive and false negative results. A false positive result occurs when a result is positive, even though a colonoscopy will not find CRC or APL. A false negative result occurs when a result is negative, even when a colonoscopy identifies APL or CRC.

A negative result does not guarantee the absence of colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma. Following a negative result, patients should continue participating in a screening program at an interval and with a method appropriate for the individual patient. Performance when used for repeat testing has not been established.

Refer to the Cologuard test Clinician Brochure or the Cologuard Plus test Clinician Brochure for additional information about the benefits and risks of using each version of the Cologuard product for CRC screening.

Rx only.