Vizient analysis finds tenfold increase in colorectal cancer screenings among adults aged 45-49

IRVING, Texas, Nov. 4, 2025 — A new Vizient® study published in JAMA Network Open highlights a dramatic rise in facility-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings among U.S. adults aged 45 to 49 following national recommendations that lowered the screening age to 45. The analysis, conducted using data from the Vizient Clinical Data Base, found that screenings in this younger age group increased nearly tenfold after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its guidelines in 2021, reflecting rapid adoption by hospitals and health systems across the country. Read the full report at JAMA Network Open.

Between 2016 and 2023, researchers analyzed more than 7.8 million CRC screening encounters from over 1,000 hospitals participating in Vizient’s Clinical Data Base. The study found that individuals aged 45 to 49 represented 17.8% of all screenings by the post-guideline period—up from just 2.9% before the American Cancer Society (ACS) and USPSTF recommendations. Monthly screening volume among this age group rose by 948%, far outpacing the 46% increase among adults aged 50 to 75.

“These results demonstrate how quickly hospitals and clinicians can implement life-saving preventive care when supported by clear national guidance,” said Alyssa Harris, MPH, associate principal, analytics and insights, Vizient. “By using national data, we were able to quantify how quickly hospitals adopted the new screening guidelines across a diverse set of hospitals—information that can help guide continued efforts to close remaining gaps in early detection.”

The findings underscore the role of hospital-based screening in accelerating national adoption of updated preventive care guidelines. The analysis also revealed important demographic trends, including increased screening among Hispanic adults and commercially insured patients, but fewer screenings among Black patients and residents from high-vulnerability neighborhoods—highlighting continued opportunities to improve variation in care when it comes to cancer prevention.

While the study focused on facility-based screenings, the authors note that including at-home tests in future research could provide a more comprehensive picture of total CRC screening uptake.

“The surge in screenings among 45- to 49-year-olds shows how quickly hospitals and clinicians translated new, evidence-based recommendations into everyday practice,” said Madeleine McDowell, MD, senior principal, Intelligence and Research, Vizient. “It’s a strong signal of alignment across the care continuum around prevention and early detection.”

About Vizient, Inc.
Vizient, Inc., the nation’s largest provider-driven healthcare performance improvement company, provides solutions and services to more than two-thirds of the nation’s acute care providers and more than one-third of ambulatory providers. Vizient offers proprietary data and analytics to deliver unique clinical and operational insights and a contract portfolio representing $156 billion in annual purchasing volume enabling the delivery of cost-effective care. With its acquisition of Kaufman Hall in 2024, Vizient expanded its advisory services to help providers achieve financial, clinical and operational excellence. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizient.com.