Identifying individuals at elevated risk for lung cancer
El Camino Health partnered with Unlock Health and Care Sherpa to create a connected lung cancer screening program that moved patients from digital engagement to supported next steps in care.
The model combined targeted paid media, an online Lung Cancer Health Risk Assessment, and proactive navigation to help patients understand their risk, overcome barriers, and take action.
The challenge
Lung cancer screening can be difficult for patients to navigate. Many people are unsure whether they qualify, what their risk level is, or how insurance, referrals, and scheduling work. El Camino Health needed a scalable way to generate awareness, identify high-risk individuals, reduce drop-off, and support patients without adding strain to internal teams.
Strategy and solution
Unlock Health developed a full-funnel acquisition strategy using paid social, search engine marketing, and community outreach to drive consumers to the online Lung Cancer HRA.
Care Sherpa provided proactive follow-up and navigation after HRA completion, connecting patients with the scheduling team and helping facilitate LDCT screening orders. They also helped patients understand insurance coverage, explore private-pay options, and access specialty care when appropriate.
Together, the partners created a clearer path from awareness to assessment to care.
The results
3,873
HRA starts
1,260
leads captured
1,062
completed assessments
33%
lead conversion rate
27%
HRA completion rate
149
requests for screening orders
35
completed LDCT scans
93%
of patients who sought treatment required more than one contact attempt before moving forward
Why it worked
The program succeeded because each part of the patient journey had a clear role. Paid media generated awareness, the HRA identified risk and intent, and Care Sherpa provided the human support needed to move patients forward.
It also created value beyond the screening appointment by connecting patients to education, physician resources, financial guidance, and longer-term care relationships.
Key takeaway
Scalable lung cancer screening depends on connected patient pathways. When each next step is clearly defined, supported, and easy to navigate, more patients can move from interest to appropriate care.