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Each month, we round up news stories and publications about work happening across CHCI. Read the latest issue and subscribe to have the Month in Review sent directly to your inbox.
CHCI
Research led by Shivan Mehta shows that pushing low-effort, easy choices to patients and providers can significantly increase colorectal and hepatitis C screening rates. Whether it's mailing at-home testing kits to patients or making screening orders part of default order sets, Mehta's team has an impressive track record of making the right choice the easy choice for the populations they want to take action.
Penn Medicine News Blog
For the second consecutive year, three Penn Medicine innovation projects will receive Clinical Care Innovation Grants from Independence Blue Cross. In addition to improving care, these projects – Healing at Home, PEACE, and a program for substance use treatment – address pregnancy-related and substance use issues, which tend to affect people of color disproportionately, and may help alleviate inequities in these areas.
Penn Medicine News
COBALT was built in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to offer accessible, high-quality mental health services to the health care workforce at Penn Medicine. In a new publication, the COBALT team describes its development and shares usage data from the first 11 months of deployment .
Healthcare

In testing outreach methods prompting vaccination against COVID-19, researchers found that text messaging and outbound phone calls yielded similar vaccination rates, even when text messages used language informed by behavioral science principles. The study demonstrated that texting is a feasible, low-cost method for communication and scheduling with large-scale population health initiatives, though further research is needed on how to increase vaccine uptake.
JAMA Network Open