Kaiser Permanente Washington launched a large-scale HPV self-collection program across 25 primary care centers, offering patients the option to test at home or in clinic.
Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by high-risk HPV, yet many patients avoid routine screening due to the need for pelvic exams. The program distributed self-collection kits by mail or in-clinic pickup, with multilingual instructions, prepaid return postage, and digital reminders.
After implementation, screening completion increased by 2.2%. During the six-month evaluation, only 12.6% of patients received kits by mail, but 25.1% of those distributed were returned. Self-collected samples accounted for 37.4% of all screening, with 62.6% remaining clinician-collected.
Clinicians reported the program reduced time spent on pelvic exams, allowing more focus on other health concerns. Some raised accuracy questions, highlighting the need for ongoing education.
Following the trial, Kaiser Permanente Washington adopted the mailing program as standard care across all 25 centers, implementing standardized workflows and training.