Reminder and result letters for breast, colon and lung screening are now available online. In February of this year, residents were able to access cervix screening letters on Health Gateway, the provincial patient portal that provides British Columbians with secure access to their consolidated health information.
"This expansion of the Health Gateway platform gives people in British Columbia immediate access to the health information they need, when they need it," said Josie Osborne, B.C. Minister of Health. "Digital reminders and result letters are a fast, reliable means of staying informed about medical services, including the improved care we're delivering through B.C's 10-year Cancer Action Plan."
The additional online access is part of enhancements to the Health Gateway portal and is in alignment with the province's 10-Year Cancer Action Plan to strengthen cancer care by supporting enhanced screening services.
Screening can prevent cancer or help catch it in its earliest stages, allowing more treatment options and a better chance of recovery.
"Making cancer screening reminder and result letters available on the Health Gateway digital platform ensures patients have secure, convenient access to their health information," said Dr. Fabio Feldman, BC Cancer's executive director, prevention, screening and hereditary cancer program. "This initiative helps empower individuals to stay proactive about their screenings and ultimately contributes to earlier detection and improved health outcomes."
Enhancing online access to reminder and results letters also supports patient empowerment – a key digital health strategy objective – and is designed to improve patient access, awareness and outcomes related to BC Cancer Screening programs. By offering digital access to screening letters in addition to those received in the mail, patients will have access to secure and timely health information in a convenient, centralized location.
Currently, almost 200,000 screening reminder and results letters are mailed to British Columbians each month to support patients with cervix, breast, lung and colon screening. There are 1.63 million British Columbians registered on Health Gateway. By signing into the Health Gateway account using their BC Services Card and navigating to their Health Records Timeline, residents can actively manage their health, while increasing their awareness of BC Cancer screening programs.
This work is supported through the Province's investments to improve cancer care, supporting B.C.'s 10-year B.C. Cancer Action Plan. The plan outlines steps to better prevent, detect and treat cancers, and deliver improved care for people facing cancer, while preparing for growing needs, including building more cancer centres in B.C., adding new diagnostic equipment, hiring new physicians and clinical support staff, and expanding cancer screening programs.
This enhancement offers several key benefits that may lead to:
Improved accessibility to BC Cancer screening reminder and result letters.
Increased visibility of BC Cancer screening programs.
Enhanced awareness of screening recommendations.
Supports the Ministry of Health's cancer priorities for better cancer detection and outcomes for patients.
More BC Cancer Screening letters have been added to Health Gateway, with reminder and result letters now available online for breast, colon and lung screening programs.
This is an addition to cervix screening letters that have been available online since February 2024.
These digital letters are identical to paper letters mailed out to screening program participants and digital copies are available online as of Nov. 28, 2024, for colon, lung and breast, and as of February 2024 for cervix.
Health Gateway users can access these letters securely by signing into their Health Gateway account using their BC Services Card and navigating to their Health Record Timeline
Anyone 12 years and older can use Health Gateway. No one except you can access your account. To register, have your BC Services Card ready and gain access to Health Gateway here.
Don't have a BC Services Card? Visit this site to apply for one.
For more information on BC Cancer screening programs, visit this site.
For more information on the 10-Year B.C. Cancer Action Plan and progress to date, visit this site.
Provincial Health Services Authority
236-997-6657 (weekdays)
Media line: 778-867-7472 (after-hours and weekends)
