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On Friday, April 17, ACCC welcomed oncology leaders from around the country to Washington, DC for the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, a forum designed for executive-level decision-makers to engage in strategic dialogue, peer-to-peer exchange, and actionable insights at the highest level of oncology leadership.
On Friday, April 17, 2026, the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) welcomed oncology leaders from around the country to Washington, DC for the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit. Feedback from ACCC Program Members sparked the creation of this new forum for executive-level decision-makers to engage in strategic dialogue, peer-to-peer exchange, and actionable insights at the highest level of oncology leadership. The curated program offered interactive panels that targeted the future of cancer care—with the goal of not just keeping up with the evolving field, but staying ahead and driving progress.
ACCC Executive Director, Meagan O’Neill, MS, described the focus of the event as “less about presentations, more about conversations.” Throughout the day, panel discussions, a high-energy keynote address, and networking sessions for the over 200 participants in attendance fulfilled that promise of collaboration and productive dialogue on some of the greatest challenges and opportunities for leaders in oncology.
The morning kicked off with a panel on the present and future of AI in oncology. Panelist Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president of Texas Oncology, shared a case study from her institution, where a pool of virtual nurses triage patient responses to electronic patient reported outcomes. Prior to AI intervention, these skilled individuals spent half of their time as nurses and half of their time as secretaries, burdened by documentation and identifying symptom management pathways. After integrating an AI tool to address these pain points, nurses spent closer to 80% of their time working at the top of their scope. This model allowed a higher volume of patient cases to be resolved with greater speed and greater satisfaction for nurses.
This AI integration was effective because of a system-wide approach, including technology, clear protocols, and staff engagement—big-picture factors that are crucial to the successful implementation of AI. Organization was also emphasized as a prerequisite to introducing these tools. “Organize yourself before you get machines to do it, otherwise the machines will do it worse,” commented Lucio Gordan, MD, president and managing physician at Florida Cancer Specialists. Adding strategic planning and staffing devoted to change management helps to marry the organizational structure already in place with novel AI solutions.
One of the biggest challenges the panel identified that must be overcome is attitudes around AI. Skepticism, weaknesses, and bad press are prevalent—particularly around the fear of AI displacing jobs—but the potential of this technology in health care is underreported. This conversation prompted the room to rethink some of these attitudes. For example, rather than focusing on the tasks workers might lose to AI, consider how that time could be spent caring for patients, such as in the case of virtual nurses at Texas Oncology. “We have to paint the picture of what it looks like when it all goes right,” said Ashley Gigandet Joseph, MBA, chief innovation officer at LeanTaaS.
In her opening address, 2025-2026 ACCC President Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, RN, FACCC, said, “No matter how innovative we are, policy shapes the environment in which we operate.” In the spirit of positioning cancer programs for success amid change, the next panel brought together policy and advocacy leaders to tackle some of the largest shifts in the health care landscape, from regulatory changes to reimbursement models.
Many disruptions in US health care policy are related to funding. Adam J. Greathouse, director of health policy at the American Society for Radiation Oncology, described the impact of coding changes that have reduced 17 billing codes in his specialty to 3 billing codes. Payers around the country have struggled to keep pace with these shifts, reducing reimbursement and jeopardizing smaller radiation oncology practices. Federal research funding cuts have also caused budget volatility and driven young talent to seek opportunities in other countries. These hurdles caught the cancer care community off guard, but their impact can be minimized by adaptability.
Throughout the discussion, panelists identified 3 key takeaways for oncology leaders to consider as they engage with advocacy and manage the shifting landscape:
Deborah Kamin, vice president of policy and advocacy at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, recommended that leaders “form relationships and figure out how to navigate this because the reality is this disruption will continue.”
The value-based care payment model, where reimbursement is based on patient health outcomes rather than fee-for-service, has emerged as a beneficial option in pilot programs. Now it is time for strategy to meet execution and address the challenges that come with real-world implementation of this model.
A major hurdle that arose in the panel discussion was defining value, as it can mean different things to different stakeholders. The rise of AI and new data models has also shaped the way leaders think about measuring value, further complicating the discussion. But the panelists were aligned on the vitality of centering patient needs and wants as a driving force in both identifying metrics and designing the wider framework.
For example, Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, chief medical officer of AccessHope, suggested cancer programs “think about financial toxicity as a quality metric.” When patients can’t afford their therapies, they are less adherent, treatment is less effective, and the total cost of care goes up. The panel discussed similar approaches to treating social drivers of health as metrics; doing so requires a proactive approach, using data to predict risk and designing interventions to lessen the impact of barriers to care.
The panel wrapped up by sharing key action items for the audience to consider when implementing a value-based care model:
Tatjana Kolevska, MD, medical director of national excellence in cancer care program at Kaiser Permanente, summed up the conversation with her personal approach to value-based care: “Evidence-based treatment for every patient. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
The final panel of the day, focused on strategic partnerships, combined many of the themes covered in previous discussions. Technology, policy, and defining value all surfaced as integral components to strong relationships in the cancer care field.
One repeated idea in the discussion was the importance of taking an expansive view of who can be a partner. Moderator Afreen Idris Shariff, MD, MBBS, co-founder of Citrus Oncology, director of the Duke Onco-Endocrinology Program, associate director of the Cancer Therapy Toxicity Program, and associate professor of medicine at Duke Cancer Institute, said, “The biggest strategic partnership we need to have is with AI.” Arif Kamal, MD, chief patient officer at American Cancer Society, suggested that the most effective partnerships engage patients as a stakeholder. In an era where innovation is outpacing implementation, it is vital that leaders are looking beyond the standard industry-academic collaborations to take advantage of emerging and underutilized resources.
The panel also identified several barriers to proactively address when embarking on a new partnership. Robert Winn, MD, director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Cancer Center, explained that while stakeholder goals may be similar, differences in language can hinder effective collaboration. He suggested focusing on the overall framework as much as the tactical strategy to ensure alignment from the early stages of partnership.
Another common challenge is data ownership. While this discussion is not new, emerging technologies have shifted the power of data and the value of access. Michele LeSueur, DBA, vice president of sales and marketing at Johnsson & Johnson, suggested involving all stakeholders in this conversation, including the multidisciplinary care team that will be collecting and utilizing data technologies, to maximize access and utility.
Keynote speaker Michelle Rozen, PhD, concluded the day with her take on managing the shifting landscape of AI. In her book The Change Doctor’s Playbook for Adapting to AI, Rozen explains the psychological barriers to adopting new technologies and how to lead confidently through the uncertainties of rapid development. At the Leadership Summit, she expanded on how to tackle effective leadership strategies in the real-world context of oncology.
Changing one’s typical procedures and workflows, whether in life or in work settings, is incredibly difficult for the brain. The body’s priority is to conserve energy, which creates resistance to difficult but beneficial changes. Rozen suggested being specific and granular with one’s goals to mitigate some of this difficulty, as it is psychologically easier for the brain to commit to a decision when the steps are clear and leave little room to guess what comes next. She applied this concept to AI, a broad field with many avenues of exploration. Rather than setting an intention to learn more about AI in general, she urged the audience to be very specific with their learning goals, how it will fit into their work, and their strategy for accomplishing this plan.
Another key takeaway from the keynote was the power of intentional reflection. Rozen explained “the power of the pause,” or the value of taking time away from work to reflect and strategize. It allows space to transition from reactive to proactive thinking, looking ahead to future goals rather than only managing challenges and opportunities as they arrive. She also recommended integrating AI into this process as a thinking partner. Rather than using large language models as a replacement for her own brain, she uses it as a tool for dialogue and stimulating new avenues of thought.
The inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit underscored a pivotal theme for oncology leaders: progress in cancer care will be defined not by any single innovation, but by the ability to lead through complexity with intention, collaboration, and clarity of purpose. From practical applications of AI and value-based care to navigating policy disruption and building strategic partnerships, the conversations emphasized action over theory and dialogue over directives. As participants return to their organizations, the Summit’s lasting impact lies in its shared call to lead boldly—grounded in patient-centered values, open to change, and committed to shaping a cancer care ecosystem that is not merely responsive to the future, but actively defines it.
