ACCCBUZZ BLOG

March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. Learn how ACCC is supporting collaboration among healthcare providers with practical, scalable solutions to the real-world challenges of improving quality care delivery for patients with multiple myeloma.

After convening its members, sponsors, and industry partners in Washington, DC, for the first time since the dawn of COVID-19, ACCC Buzz shares a glimpse of the activities and insights the final day at ACCC’s 48th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit.

This week, Congress passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package for fiscal year 2022 with broad bipartisan support. Included in the domestic appropriations are several key healthcare provisions of interest to ACCC and the cancer care community.

ACCC convened its members, sponsors, and industry partners in person (for the first time since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic) and online for the 48th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit in Washington, D.C., enabling more people to participate in ways in which they were most comfortable.

In response to the ever-changing landscape of healthcare and financial advocacy, the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network is collaborating this year with its partners to update ACCC’s Financial Advocacy Services Guidelines.

Each year, February 1 marks the start of Black History Month, for which a specific theme is chosen. The theme for 2022—health and wellness in the Black community—mirrors ACCC’s mission of reducing health disparities in cancer care and outcomes.

Read how the Cancer Moonshot aims to improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer by increasing cancer screenings, increasing access to clinical trials, and investing in new treatments, among other initiatives.

As in other areas of the country, COVID-19 surges during the past two years have led to the cancellation, postponement, or downsizing of planned community outreach and screening events at Munson Healthcare in Michigan. Oncologists at Munson think it’s likely that northern Michigan will see an increase in late-stage cancer cases as a result.

To address the steadily increasing rates of cancer incidence and death worldwide, World Cancer Day (celebrated February 4) has taken on a multi-year campaign to “close the care gap” and bring awareness to the large treatment and outcome disparities that exist in cancer care.

In January 2022, ACCC co-sponsored Health Care Value Week, a series of virtual events with top Administration officials from CMS to support the advancement of value-based care. By highlighting the success stories of value-based payment models and addressing the need to further eliminate barriers to care for marginalized groups, the event discussed next steps in providing more equitable, accessible, and affordable care in the United States.

Cancer screenings may have decreased since the pandemic, but the need for them hasn't. “You can continue to do the work you’re doing; we just need to be mindful, says Nora Katurakes, RN, MSN, OCN. We can’t just stop living. … We’re going to have to learn how to live with COVID-19 in our community.”

Relational work does not require a doctor’s orders, but without it there is no humanity in the delivery of patient care. Nurses who do not have time to deliver relational care can become unfulfilled, disappointed with their work, and burned out—the altruism for which many of them entered the profession gone.

The new year brings with it new goals and plans for ACCC’s Financial Advocacy Network. But before talking about the innovations to come in 2022, let’s look back at the accomplishments of 2021.

In 2020, medical experts warned that COVID-19 could, over time, have a substantial impact on cancer outcomes due to delayed or missed cancer screenings for patients. To obtain a better perspective of how cancer programs’ screening and outreach education efforts are recovering from pandemic pressures, ACCCBuzz spoke to four cancer programs across the country.

To obtain an on-the-ground perspective of how cancer programs’ screening and outreach education efforts are reacting to pandemic pressures, ACCCBuzz spoke to four cancer programs across the country that will be featured in four separate blog posts in January 2022. For the first blog in the series, we spoke to Renea Duffin, MPA, vice president of cancer support and outreach at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, an ACCC member organization located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Genetic counselors can help individuals understand their risk of cancer, make medical decisions based on relevant genetic findings, take steps to lower their cancer risk, and make informed decisions about the most effective course of treatment after a cancer diagnosis. But despite the importance of the services they provide, genetic counselors are not considered to be providers, and their services are not billable under Medicare.

Given the difficulty of managing patients with a high disease burden who are often undergoing toxic treatment regimens, maintaining high-quality ovarian cancer care can be a challenge.

As we approach the end of 2021, ACCCBuzz is recognizing the individuals who have been featured in our Financial Advocate Spotlights and the incredible stories they have shared with us.

While precision medicine in cancer care is becoming more widespread, its rapid evolution in oncology requires ongoing discussion. ACCC’s podcast, CANCER BUZZ, features lively expert discussions about emergent issues in cancer care. Here we highlight some of those podcasts.

Because transportation disruptions can result in missed appointments, treatment delays, and potentially adverse health outcomes, we must help ensure that our patients have access to safe and reliable means of transportation.

The evolution of immunotherapy treatment for patients with cancer has given rise to a new class of cancer survivors.

The vulnerability of patients with multiple myeloma has received special attention lately due to the recent passing of former Secretary of State General Colin Powell related to complications from COVID-19.

The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R.3) aims to deliver something a recent poll shows the overwhelming majority of Americans (88 percent) want: lower drug costs.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and the second-most common cancer detected in both men and women in the U.S. Lung cancer accounts for nearly 25% of all cancer deaths in this country. According to estimates by the American Cancer Society, 235,760 patients will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 131,880 patients will die of the disease in 2021.