STUDY PROTOCOL Examining Factors Influencing Colorectal Cancer Screening of Rural Nebraskans Using Data from Clinics Participating in an Accountable Care Organization: A Study Protocol [v1; ref status:

Although mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) can beBackground: significantly reduced through increased screening, rural communities are still experiencing lower rates of screening compared to urban counterparts. Understanding and eliminating barriers to cancer screening will decrease cancer burden and lead to substantial gains in quality and quantity of life for rural populations. However, existing studies have shown inconsistent findings and fail to address how contextual and provider-level factors impact CRC screening in addition to individual-level factors. The purpose of the study is to examine multi-level factors related toPurpose: CRC screening, and providers ’ perception of barriers and facilitators of CRC screening in rural patients cared for by accountable care organization (ACO) clinics. This is a convergent mixed method design. For theMethods/Design: quantitative component, multiple data sources, such as electronic healt