The Ohio Gastroenterology Group, based in Columbus, is providing free colonoscopies to uninsured, qualified individuals, according to a Columbus Dispatch report.
The free colonoscopy program is coordinated with Physicians Care Connection, the largest provider of free care in central Ohio. The program aims to screen 12 qualified individuals each month. For patients to qualify, they must be at least 50, lack insurance, make 200 percent or less of the federal poverty guideline and present no symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.
Patients are identified through federally qualified health centers and physicians involved with a voluntary care network. The Ohio Gastroenterology Group began providing the free colonoscopies in January, and the practice is already booked to provide the service through May. The plan is to provide the procedures monthly, with the possibility of expanding the number of screenings.
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