SAN FRANCISCO

,

March 23, 2021

/PRNewswire/ — A new


study


published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine showed that while preventative cancer screenings for breast and colorectal cancers declined significantly during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, use of these procedures returned to near-baseline levels by the end of

July 2020

.

An analysis of insurance claims data by


Castlight Health


(NYSE: CSLT) and collaborators at RAND Corporation of more than 6 million Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance between January and July of 2020 showed that mammography rates among women aged 45 to 64 declined by 96 percent during March and

April 2020

compared to January and February. The weekly rate of colorectal cancer screenings among adults aged 45 to 64 and older declined by 95 percent over the same period.

The study found that by the end of

July 2020

, the rate of mammograms (88.2 per

10K

population) had rebounded and was slightly higher than what had been recorded before the pandemic was officially declared in

March 2020

(87.8 per

10K

population). The rate of colorectal cancer screenings also rebounded (12.6 per

10K

population), although it remained at slightly below pre-pandemic levels (15.1 per

10K

population).

“These are the first findings to show that despite real fears about the consequences of the drop-off in cancer screens, health facilities figured out how to pick these back up after initial lockdowns,” said

Ryan McBain

, the study’s lead author and a policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. “Our study shows that health systems were able to recalibrate resources and protocols in a relatively short interval to deliver these important services.”

While the return to near pre-pandemic baseline levels was encouraging, it did not offset the large number of individuals who did not receive preventative screenings during April and May. Researchers would have had to show a significant increase in preventive services to conclude that all or most deferred care had been received.

“Although it is reassuring to see cancer screening rates begin to return to pre-pandemic levels, we must remain vigilant in ensuring that people who deferred preventative services are prioritized,” says Dr.

Dena Bravata

, chief medical officer of Castlight Health and senior affiliate, Stanford Center of Primary Care & Outcomes Research. “This presents a significant opportunity for employers to encourage their employees, especially those at higher risk of disease, to get the preventative care they need.”

Other authors of the study also include

Ryan K. McBain

,

Jonathan Cantor

, and

Christopher Whaley

of the


RAND Corporation


, and Anupam Jena of



Harvard Medical School



and


Massachusetts General Hospital


, and

Megan Pera

of Castlight Health.

Support was provided by the National Institutes on Aging and the National Institutes on Health.

About Castlight Health

Castlight is on a mission to make it as easy as humanly possible for people to navigate the healthcare system and live happier, healthier, more productive lives. As a leader in healthcare navigation, we provide a world-class digital platform with a team of clinical and benefits experts to help members easily connect and engage with the right programs and care, at the right time. Castlight partners with Fortune 500 companies and health plans to transform employee and member benefits into one comprehensive health and wellbeing experience to deliver better health outcomes and maximize returns on healthcare investments.

For more information visit


www.castlighthealth.com


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.

Media Contacts:

Caroline Kawashima


Director, Corporate Marketing

Castlight Health



[email protected]

Saige Smith


Castlight Health



[email protected]

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SOURCE Castlight Health, Inc.