The physicians at Main Line Gastroenterology Associates and Main Line Endoscopy Centers are members of The GI Quality Improvement Consortium (GI QuIC), a joint initiative of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. The goal of GI QuIC is to collect endoscopy data in a systematic method to measure the quality of endoscopy practices. There are 11 colonoscopy measures, including Adenoma Detection Rate (ADR).

What is ADR?

The widely accepted national benchmark on quality for screening colonoscopy is adenoma (polyp) detection rate. An adenoma is a benign tumor that is identified and removed during a colonoscopy. Most colorectal cancer develops from adenomatous polyps so its detection by a gastroenterologist is an essential measure of quality.

Why does it matter?

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a revealing report about colonoscopy skills of gastroenterologists. What they found was striking:

• Among patients whose doctors removed a greater number of pre-malignant polyps (adenomas), the likelihood of developing colon cancer was significantly reduced.
• For patients whose doctors ranked in the highest quintile of polyp detection (vs. lowest quintile), the colon cancer rate was, essentially, halved. The difference was even greater for fatal colon tumors.

According to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American College of Gastroenterology the Adenoma Detection Rate should be at least 25% in men and 15% in women. As you can see – Main Line Gastroenterologists far exceed this benchmark.