ACCCBUZZ BLOG

This is the first post in an ACCCBuzz series on effective leadership practices in cancer care, written by Dr. Barbara Schmidtman.

The US has seen a steady decline in the overall incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) during the past several decades. In 1975, 60 people per 100,000 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer; by 2018, that number had fallen to 34. But overall trends in CRC incidence and outcomes often differ among racial groups and geographic locations. Black Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with CRC than White Americans and more likely to die from it. CRC mortality rates in American Indian and Alaska Native populations have stubbornly stayed put.

Jeanie Troy, a financial navigator at Lake Region Healthcare in the Cancer Care and Research Center, discusses how to help uninsured patients access their anti-cancer treatment if they are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.

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.