Financial incentives fail to increase completion rates of colorectal cancer screening tests mailed to patients

Bottom Line: Financial incentives didn't increase completion rates of colorectal cancer screening tests mailed to patients. In a randomized clinical trial of almost 900 patients, none of the incentives (an unconditional $10, a promised $10 upon completion of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit to test for blood in a stool sample or chance at a lottery with a 1-in-10 chance of winning $100) was statistically better than no financial incentive to entice patients to complete the FIT. The overall FIT completion rate at six months was nearly 29 percent but the incentives used in this study may have been too small to improve response rates.

Authors: Shivan J. Mehta, M.D., M.B.A., M.S.H.P., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and co-authors.