Centralization of Lung Cancer Screening and Adherence to First Follow-up Assessment: The Veterans Health Administration Experience.
Centralized lung cancer screening programs boost follow-up care rates, especially for Black and rural Veterans.
This nationwide VHA study of 146,321 Veterans demonstrated that centralized lung cancer screening programs achieve significantly higher rates of first follow-up adherence compared to decentralized programs, particularly for Black and rural Veterans. Despite this benefit, overall adherence (58.5%) remains below optimal even in centralized programs, highlighting persistent implementation gaps.
What the study was
- Study design
- Nationwide retrospective cohort study with difference-in-differences analysis
- Population
- Veterans aged 55-80 entering lung cancer screening in the VHA system
- Sample size
- 146321
- Category
- Early Detection
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Annals of the American Thoracic Society
Why it surfaced
Large nationwide study (n=146K) demonstrating centralization improves LCS adherence, with equity implications for Black and rural Veterans.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.