CRC SCREENING GUIDELINES

The Cologuard® and Cologuard Plus® tests are included in major (CRC) screening guidelines and quality measures1-9

The USPSTF and ACS recommend CRC screening starting at age 451,2*†

Screening guidelines recommend a 3-year screening interval following a negative Cologuard result1,2‡

Receive 3 years of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) quality credit 3§

New ACS Guideline provide clear recommendations based on clinical evidence

ACS-PREFERRED1 NOT ACS-PREFERRED1a
Colonoscopy ng-mt-sDNA
(e.g., Cologuard Plus) 		FIT
(e.g., OC-Auto® Micro 80, Polymedco, Inc.) 		mt-sRNA
(e.g., ColoSense®) 		Blood-based tests
(e.g., PREEMPT CRC and Shield)
ABBOTT CRC SCREENING
icon-book-check-bright-blueHEDIS® CREDIT 10 years
quality credit2		 3 years
quality credit2		 1 year
quality credit2		 No measure credit2 No measure credit2
icon-important-bright-blueUSAGE &
RESTRICTIONS		 Recommended
every 10 years1		 Recommended
every 3 years1		 Recommended
every year1		 Recommended
every 3 years1		 Recommended
every 3 years1b
icon-rx-laptop-bright-blueCOVERAGE
(for follow-up colonoscopy)		 N/A Coverage required with no cost sharing3,4 Coverage required with no cost sharing3,4 Must confirm with insurance provider3,4 Not covered by commercial insurance (Medicare coverage only)4-6

Learn more about the 2026 ACS CRC screening guideline recommendations.

View Here

The Cologuard Plus® test is recommended by the ACS as a preferred CRC screening modality for average-risk patients 45+2*†

Cologuard Plus stool DNA test kit on a blue background.

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Cologuard adherence

Explore patient adherence to CRC screening options like the Cologuard

test and colonoscopy

View The Data
  • Performance data presented were collected in separate studies.
  • This is not a head-to-head comparison of screening tests.
  • HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
  • * The USPSTF found adequate evidence that screening eligible patients aged 45 to 49 years provides a moderate benefit in reducing CRC deaths and increasing life-years gained. USPSTF-recommended screening modalities include stool-based tests or direct visualization tests.1
  • † The ACS makes a qualified recommendation for screening in eligible patients aged 45 to 49 years, indicating clear evidence of benefit of screening but less certainty about the balance of benefits, harms, and patient preferences. ACS-recommended screening modalities include high-sensitivity stool-based tests or structural (visual) examinations.2
  • ‡ The USPSTF-recommended screening frequency for sDNA-FIT is every 1 to 3 years. The ACS-recommended screening interval for mt-sDNA is every 3 years.1,2
  • §sDNA (ie, the 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-party 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).3
  • ||Non-preferred screening modalities are recommended only for those who decline ACS-preferred tests.2
  • Guardant Shield is another ACS non-preferred blood-based CRC screening test.2
  • #A positive result should always be followed up with a colonoscopy.2
  • **Adenomas ≥1 mm, based on USPSTF modeling.10
  • †† Serrated precancerous lesions (SPL) and advanced adenomas (AA), including high-grade dysplaisa or ≥ 10 adenomas of any size, tubulovillous adenomas of any size, and tubular adenoma ≥10 mm.11,12
  • ‡‡ Adenoma, including with carcinoma in situ, high-grade dysplaisa of any size, villous growth pattern (≥25%) of any size, and ≥1.0cm in size, sessile serrated lesion with or without cytological dysplasia ≥1.0 cm, and traditional serrated adenoma of any size.13
  • §§ Cologuard Plus specificity: 91% overall specificity, including all participants who did not have advanced neoplasia. Specificity for no colorectal neoplasia was age-weighted to the US population and defined as a negative colonoscopy, no adenocarcinoma of the colorectum, no adenomas, and no sessile serrated polyps/sessile serrated adenomas.11
  • |||| Excludes CRC and APL.11
  • a Advanced colorectal neoplaisa.13

ACS=American Cancer Society; APL=advanced precancerous lesion; CRC=colorectal cancer; DNA=deoxyribonucleic acid; FIT=fecal immunochemical test; HEDIS=Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set; mt-sDNA=multitarget stool DNA; mtsRNA=multitarget stool RNA; RNA=ribonucleic acid; SSL=sessile serrated lesion; USPSTF=US Prevention Services Task Force.