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Financial Advocacy

The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) is committed to building the confidence of oncology financial advocates, connecting them with much-needed solutions to improve the patient experience. Through the Financial Advocacy Network’s tools and resources, ACCC empowers cancer programs and practices to proactively integrate financial health into the oncology care continuum and help patients gain access to high-quality care for a better quality of life.

For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.

Featured Programs

These guidelines were created using a collaborative, consensus-based process to promote and guide the implementation of critical financial advocacy services in cancer programs and practices across the nation.

Whether you are an experienced financial advocate or new to the field, the ACCC Financial Advocacy Boot Camp prepares you to help your patients and your program address the growing issue of financial toxicity.

The ACCC Financial Advocacy Network brought together experts in financial advocacy to create this Playbook—a comprehensive tool to support onboarding and continuous learning for staff who deliver financial advocacy services.

ACCC is developing an educational program that will foster discussions on how to ease provider burden and ensure the best quality care for the patient when dealing with the utilization management technique known as prior authorization.

Learn the fundamentals of biomarker and diagnostic testing as it relates to financial navigation. Gain confidence in your ability to guide patients through the complex insurance process, practice clear communication strategies, and access helpful financial resources.

ACCC, its members, and partners have collected new and updated resources to help you develop, implement, and continue to deliver effective financial advocacy services in your cancer program or practice.

Access the most up-to-date anti-cancer medication assistance and reimbursement programs that are available to help alleviate the financial burden of cancer treatment. Search for applicable Oncology-Related Products and Companies and apply optional Coverage and Assistance Type filters to streamline your results.

The Financial Advocacy Network Community is a private forum for ACCC members to ask questions, share resources and experiences, and offer support for delivering financial advocacy services to your patients. You will need to login to your ACCC member account in order to access this benefit.

Featured Publications

Financial Advocacy Services Guidelines
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Financial-Advocacy-Network-2023-Census-Survey-Results-250x315 Financial Advocacy Network 2023 Census Survey
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Value of Financial Advocacy
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PAG-2021-200x269 Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide
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Improving-the-Prior-Authorization-Process-200x269 Improving the Prior Authorization Process
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Fighting Financial Toxicity
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FAN-2019-2020-Census-Survey-100x134 Financial Advocacy Network 2019-2020 Census Survey
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Making-Case-for-Hiring-Financial-Navigator-100x130 Making the Business Case for Hiring a Financial Navigator
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On-Demand Webinars

Utilizing Biomarkers in Cancer Care: Who Has It, Who Needs It, and How To Access It

In this final webinar, hear from our experts Jordan Karwedsky, Financial Counselor, Green Bay Oncology, Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, CRT, Administrative Director of SOMC Cancer Services & Ambulatory Infusion, Southern Ohio Medical Center, and Dr. Michael R. Gieske, Director of Lung Cancer Screening. Join us as we discuss prior authorization challenges in biomarker testing, importance of providing access to biomarker testing for underserved populations, how biomarkers are shaping the future of medicine, as well as what can be done at the policy level to allow for more access.
Putting "Necessity" in Medical Necessity: How To Ensure You Are Maximizing Reimbursement

In the fifth webinar, we will hear from Angie Santiago, CRCS, Manager of Oncology Financial Advocacy, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at the Thomas Jefferson University Health System, and Chair of ACCC’s Financial Advocacy Network, and Sarah Shaw, Oncology Program Manager at St. Luke’s Cancer Institute in Boise, ID. Join us as we discuss importance of medical necessity in oncology and how clear denial data can help maximize reimbursement.
Navigating Radiation Authorizations and Denials

In the fourth webinar, we will hear from Gretchen Van Dyck, Financial Counselor from St. Vincent Hospital Regional Cancer Center and Rachelle Gill, Program/Department Coordinator II for Proton Therapy Appeals at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Join us as we discuss radiation authorization submissions before treatment and strategies on how to work radiation authorization denials and appeals after treatment.

More Financial Advocacy Webinars

Cancer Buzz Podcasts

Disparities in Accessing Care for AML Patients: Challenges and Solutions – [Mini Podcast] Ep 145 Mar 25, 2024

In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Linda Hayward, patient financial advocate at the University of Maryland, Kaufman Cancer Center at Upper Chesapeake Health, about the challenges of treatment and strategies to address disparities in access and care for patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
LIVE from AMCCBS: Financial Advocacy Resources — [MINI PODCAST] Mar 11, 2024

Live this week from the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ interviews Wendi Waugh, ACCC financial navigation committee member, about resources for financial advocacy.
NOC Preview: Financial Advocacy Guidelines to Mitigate Financial Toxicity - [MINI PODCAST] Oct 10, 2023

Hear Dr. Margaret Liang, of Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center, Los Angeles, talk about ACCC’s Financial Advocacy Network (FAN) and the Financial Advocacy Services guidelines to help cancer programs address the growing issue of financial toxicity.

More Financial Advocacy Podcasts

From Oncology Issues

How Do You DISCO?
Lauren M. Hamel, et al.

Leveraging the Discussions of Cost App to reduce financial toxicity and improve treatment cost communication.
Compliance: 2022 Oncology Coding Update
Teri Bedard, BA, RT(R)(T), CPC

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the American Medical Association's (AMA's) finalized coding updates for calendar year 2022.
Compliance: 2022 Physician and Freestanding Facilities Update
Teri Bedard, BA, RT(R)(T), CPC

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year 2022.
Compliance: 2022 Hospital Regulatory Update
Teri Bedard, BA, RT(R)(T), CPC

The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) for calendar year 2022.
Views: Put Yourself First Words to Live By
Dr. Cheyenne Bryant

Put yourself first: this mantra is especially important today as we continue to grapple with the implications and fallout from the COVID-19 global pandemic.

More Financial Advocacy Journal Articles

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

Barriers to Liquid Biopsy

October 14, 2021

Liquid biopsy, a genetic test that can eliminate some of the most serious potential drawbacks of traditional tissue biopsy, is gaining more traction in cancer care. But there remain significant barriers to its widespread use.

What Is a Liquid Biopsy?

An essential element of cancer care, tumor tissue biopsies can confirm a cancer diagnosis, identify the cell type of a tumor, and determine whether a patient’s tumor contains specific genetic alterations that may make them candidates for targeted therapies. However, tumor tissue biopsies require invasive procedures (including surgery), and some patients may not be candidates due to poor health or a tumor’s specific location in the body.

To overcome these barriers, researchers have developed technologies for capturing and analyzing DNA and other types of genetic material released by patients’ tumor cells into their blood. The removal of blood or other bodily fluids to detect cancerous cells or cancerous DNA is called liquid biopsy. Liquid biopsies have the benefit of being non-invasive, which means they can be done more frequently to better track tumors and mutations over time. They may also be used to validate the efficacy of a cancer treatment or monitor patients for potential relapse. And they can be a less costly alternative to the genomic analysis of tissue biopsies.

On June 1, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first liquid biopsy test for use in cancer. The test detects key mutations that make patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer candidates for treatment with the targeted therapy erlotinib (Tarceva®). The FDA previously approved this test for this indication using tumor specimens; the new approval is for the detection of the same mutation using blood samples.

But barriers to using biomarker testing are common. Respondents to ACCC’s Trending Now in Cancer Care survey indicate that insufficient insurance coverage, reimbursement, and protocols are among the issues working against the widespread implementation of biomarker testing in oncology practices. Accordingly, the adoption of biomarker testing has been slow.

A study presented at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting found that of nearly 3,500 patients with advanced NSCLC, 90% had been given at least one biomarker test. However, only 46% of these patients had been given all five of the biomarker tests commonly used for NSCLC. There is also evidence of significant disparities in the use of biomarker testing among different racial groups. Another study presented at the same ASCO meeting revealed that 39% of Black patients with metastatic NSCLC underwent next-generation sequencing, compared to 50% of their White counterparts.

Cost & Coverage Barriers

The process of paying for expensive molecular tests and for the expertise of the multiple professionals required to interpret test results and formulate treatment plans is inconsistent and complex. This is especially the case with newer technologies such as liquid biopsy, which can come with higher price tags. Physicians, pathologists, and patients often do not know the costs of molecular testing services until they are reimbursed or billed. The confusion that results is distressing for both patients and providers.

Payers also structure their policies for biomarker coverage in multiple ways, making them difficult to understand. While some reimburse for many types of tests, others reimburse for only the most basic tests, or for tests for very specific clinical conditions and genes. This wide variation often increases the challenge of assessing and tracking numerous coverage policies.

To learn more about the status of liquid biopsies in community cancer centers, listen to the ACCC CANCER BUZZ podcast, What You Need to Know About Liquid Biopsy. There, J. Nicholas Bodor, MD, PhD, MPH—assistant professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center—and Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD—professor of health economics and health services research and director of the Center for Translational and Policy Research on Personalized Medicine at the University of California San Francisco—address the feasibility of offering liquid biopsies in community cancer centers and the pros and cons of doing so.

Additional ACCC resources: