All Comprehensive Cancer Care Services OI Articles

Embedding counseling services into oncology and palliative care across 6 clinic locations landed this program a 2023 ACCC Innovator Award. Learn how this model allows patients to receive psychosocial care from treatment through survivorship.

Discover how St. Elizabeth Cancer Center launched a comprehensive program to perform outreach to patients with outstanding orders for lung, breast, and colon cancer screenings.

Highlights from an Association of Cancer Care Centers Gynecologic Oncology Summit in Chicago, Illinois, on September 27, 2023.

Discover how the Susan G. Komen’s Patient Care Center has been able to improve the accessibility for Spanish-speaking patients by bolstering their team of bilingual staff and leveraging technology.

Nurses at this NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center piloted an evidence-based project that engaged an immersive virtual reality experience to reduce fear and anxiety among patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy treatment.

Explore 4 pillars for creating a differentiated patient experience through performance and service line optimization to increase patient access, implementation of system-wide navigation services, and more.

This Modern Healthcare virtual briefing gathered industry leaders to discuss how digital transformation and health equity will help shape the hospital of the future.

Learn how Dorcy Cancer Center at St Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado, developed and implemented the model tobacco cessation program.

The importance of care coordination in managing the adverse effects of cancer treatment and navigating patient challenges such as emotional distress, isolation, financial toxicity, and lower quality of life.

Learn about the critical role patient navigation plays in identifying, addressing, and dismantling health inequities across the cancer care continuum.

Based on the understanding that patients diagnosed with cancer need unique support and resources, this community-based cancer program implemented and grew a disease-site specific oncology patient navigation program.

Adopting a human-centered approach to designing clinical trials that considers the preferences and experiences of rural patients with cancer and providers could increase patient enrollment and close care gaps.

Despite scientific and medical advances, the incidence and mortality rates of cancer remain disproportionately high among certain populations. Understanding this, combatting the inequities that exist will be key to delivering next generation cancer care.

The Collaborative Care Model uses the stepped care approach, enabling a flexible and personalized treatment approach that aligns with each patient’s specific needs.

Virginia Cancer Research Institute successfully implemented a cutting-edge clinical trials navigation program that improved the patient and provider experience and demonstrated a significant return on investment.

This Colorado-based nonprofit organization offers free therapeutic art sessions to patients with cancer, their caregivers, and long-time cancer survivors.

This study at Atrium Health, Levine Cancer Institute, highlights the needs of patients with lung cancer and their care partners.

In view of the increasing demand for genetic counseling, Aurora Health Care developed this center to better understand the needs of patients with hereditary cancer syndromes.

Climate change is typically seen through an environmental, political, or socioeconomic lens. Yet it should also be seen as a catastrophic health threat as it will have an effect on the delivery of comprehensive cancer care.

Highlights from the ACCC 49th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit.

The interdisciplinary team at Baptist Health, Miami Cancer Institute evaluated existing processes and leveraged technology to improve oral oncolytic compliance through education, consent, and adherence standards.

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center developed the James Cancer Diagnostic Center, to deliver a comprehensive assessment of signs or symptoms of malignancy in a timely fashion.

Backed by strategic partnerships, ACCC held a multistakeholder meeting focused on exploring the current state of psychosocial support in oncology.

The interdisciplinary team at Providence Health & Services leveraged its electronic health record to improve the efficiency, transparency, and productivity of their oncology navigation program.

Through a collaboration between legal and healthcare professionals, this Virginia based medical-legal partnership assists patients with cancer resolve social and environmental factors that contribute to health disparities.

An interview with Kathyrn Smolinski, MSW, JD on the development and implementation of the medical-legal partnership between Wayne State University Law School and the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

ACCC’s online course provides cancer care team members with the tools needed to be clear and concise in communication with patients, build awareness and skills regarding health literacy, and improve health equity.

Following the disparate outcomes of the COVID-19, combatting the inequities that exist within the American healthcare system remains a key objective of ACCC.

Amid the implementation of technological solutions such as remote patient monitoring in cancer care, it is important that all patients with cancer—regardless of race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status—benefit equitably.

Through art therapy, patients with cancer can cope with the adverse events they may experience during treatment or in their daily lives.

A national survey was conducted to analyze the approach cancer programs adopt toward patient access today, highlighting the current challenges, and operational methods of different cancer care delivery models.

A trailblazing Winston-Salem based cancer center successfully created and developed the role of a population health navigator to address the unique needs of various underserved communities.

Highlands Oncology Group took key steps toward implementing an ePRO platform aimed at reducing emergency department utilization and unplanned hospitalization, while improving the patient’s quality of life.

ACCC conducted a comprehensive survey and a series of four focus groups to explore current attitudes, beliefs, and concerns related to multi-cancer early detection.

ACCC conducted a national, institution-directed quality improvement initiative aimed at increasing the rates of guideline-concordant genetic counseling and testing in patients with Stage 0 to III breast cancer, where results could impact care.

Learn how Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn. has been using monitoring devices for patients undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Thanks to this technology, these high-risk patients can be remotely monitored 24/7.

Charleston Area Medical Center Cancer Center is the largest cancer program in Southern West Virginia. The cancer center opened a new treatment clinic to offer pre- and post-treatment visits to better help patients navigate their cancer journey.

An article spotlighting Logan Health, Logan Health Cancer Program, Kalispell, Montana.

The absence of an optimal cancer care coordination model coupled with the vast network of providers involved in cancer care, necessitates the implementation of key strategies to strengthen care coordination.

Cancer and its treatment impact patients in many ways, beginning before a diagnosis and lasting long through survivorship, including one's sexual health. All of Me was created to bridge this communication gap between patients and providers.

This pilot study aimed to determine the efficacy of a community-based wellness program offered to patients outside of the clinical setting.

This study examined the coping strategies and psychosocial well-being of patients with lung cancer facing multiple stressors, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This program delivers intensive hospital-level care to eligible patients in their own homes through a care team that includes oncology nurse practitioners, home health registered nurses, and allied healthcare staff.

Advancements in reproductive science has provided more options for women to take greater control of their reproductive future.

Kim Woofter, the executive Vice President of Strategic Alliances, AC3, discusses the rewards of incorporating data analytics into the business of oncology, as a tool for improving billing and revenue cycle management and optimizing care.

Cancer Care Associates of York, implemented an autonomous APP model of care designed to allow these clinicians to work at the top of their license, facilitate effective physician and APP partnerships, and improve overall patient satisfaction.

A multicentered study based in Ohio measured genetic counseling referrals for patients with cancer.

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center shares details about how it shifted from a push to a pull model of care for patients who present at the emergency department with incidental findings.

Tennessee Oncology is a physician-led private oncology practice based in Nashville, with 32 clinic locations across the state and one in northern Georgia- offering medical and radiation oncology, imaging, and lab services.

ACCC and AstraZeneca were recognized for their joint effort in the Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative at the Cancer Moonshot: Goals Forum hosted, by the President and First Lady.

The Iowa Oncology Society launched an educational project designed to spark conversations, and raise awareness about the importance of genetic testing, counseling, and screening.

The successful deployment of technology in cancer practices, promises to improve the quality of patient care and the patient experience, while also alleviating excessive burdens on clinicians and staff.

The ACCC Patient Assistance & Reimbursement Guide is an interactive and fully digital tool, patients, health care providers and members of the multidisciplinary oncology care team can access to help find and apply for financial assistance.

The HealthPartners Frauenshuh Cancer Center has safely incorporated cannabis in the treatment of patients with cancer.

With an aging U.S. population and a projected shortage of medical oncologists, oncology pharmacists and the critical support they provide in the management of patient symptoms and comorbidities is more important than ever.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact in the rate of cancer screening across various states in the United States. Louisiana, Delaware, Kentucky and Northern Michigan serve as vehicles for an analysis of the disparity in cancer screening rates, before and after the pandemic.

Disparities in evaluation, management, and mortality persist in patient populations where bladder cancer is less common.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services developed a unique service, offering patients with cancer certain clinical interventions and wellness checks in the comfort of their home that is provided by the Albuquerque Ambulance Service Mobile Integrated Health team.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a necessity for the incorporation of remote home monitoring for cancer patients, in order to maintain the health of both the patient and the health care workers who aid them.

The overall cancer rate among adolescents and young adults is on a gradual increase, thus creating the need for oncology programs geared towards young adults and adolescents.

The overall aim of quality improvement in healthcare is to deliver high-quality care to patients through a well-managed, high-functioning system aimed at improving the overall quality of life in the general population.

Philanthropy is a way to start supportive care programs and other needed services.

With increased recognition of the value of oncology social work services for patients, families, and providers, cancer programs and practices may benefit from a fresh consideration of billing for oncology social work services.

Cancer prevalence is increasing, and there is a gap between the growing number of patients and the number of oncology providers. Effective use of advanced practice providers (APPs) can help bridge this care gap.

As technological innovation expands, it is important that cancer care finds ways to incorporate new technology that will make life easier for both the patient and healthcare provider- as well as create increasingly efficient cancer care.

A $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package for fiscal year 2022 was passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by President Biden on March 15, 2022.

Comprehensive cancer care encompasses a wide range of services that are critical to high-quality care and the patient experience.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilmot Cancer Institute's integrative oncology team shares how integrative oncology-based services can be delivered via telehealth.

Leveraging the Discussions of Cost App to reduce financial toxicity and improve treatment cost communication.

Pharmacy informatics can be leveraged to help clinical inpatient pharmacists ensure the safe use of oral oncolytics during a patient’s hospital stay.

As part of the conversation regarding the optimal restructuring of multidisciplinary cancer care clinics, the authors developed a quality improvement project focused on understanding how patients view multidisciplinary cancer care.

In 2019, at the University of Colorado, Douglas Holt, MD, led the effort to implement and study the use of virtual reality within the clinic for patient education in oncology.

When the COVID-19 public health emergency heightened, everyone’s priorities shifted and the Patient and Family Advisory Council moved to the virtual space.

Embedding a primary care provider in oncology helps on program soar to new heights.

Spiritual care providers support the religious and spiritual needs of patients and their caregivers.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the American Medical Association's (AMA's) finalized coding updates for calendar year 2022.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year 2022.

The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) for calendar year 2022.

This study looked at how work motivation can impact career readiness, core self-evaluation, and work personality.

This program helps newly licensed nurses practice safely and accurately to become competent clinicians in oncology, enhancing their critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills when treating older adults with cancer and delirium.

An integrated precision tracking program ensures proper follow-up care and surveillance for survivors of colorectal cancer.

Oncology nurse practitioners (NPs) can help improve patient satisfaction and treatment compliance rates. Learn how this fellowship prepares non-specialized NPs to excel in oncology using an innovative curriculum and clinical immersion.

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.

Regardless of the reason, the ability to bill for discontinued services will depend on why the service had to be stopped and how it was addressed.

This cancer program continues to meet patients’ psychosocial needs through enduring telehealth expansion, livestream groups and classes, and on-demand digital repositories.

As we turn the corner toward 2022, for oncology to drive equity forward: We need every member and every discipline, patient, leader, payer, industry partner, and innovator working together to provide the most equitable care possible in a sustainable way.

While the number of oncology patients and survivors is increasing, the growth of medical oncologists has lagged behind, and advanced practice providers (APPs) play a critical role in filling this care gap.

In addition to the global pandemic, ongoing lawsuits from referenced biologics' manufacturers suing biosimilar manufacturers are having a negative impact on the development and approval of new biosimilars.

An expert ACCC Steering Committee shares 32 informed treatment and care delivery recommendations for the ideal care of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Learn the 10 feasible and impactful “how-tos” Summit participants identified within three domains—care coordination and communication, clinical trials, and acknowledging and mitigating implicit bias.

There remains an overarching need to identify and provide guidance on key issues related to the optimal care of patients with NSCLC across different community cancer programs/settings in the U.S. To address this need, a multiphase project was implemented by ACCC and its partner organizations, with the main goal being to support the optimization of care for patients diagnosed with stage III and IV NSCLC.

Moffitt’s Curbside Clinic gives patients another option for accessing care.

At Middlesex Health Cancer Center, we knew we could not let another year pass without an in-person celebration of all that our survivors and staff have endured. We were determined to bring people together again in a safe way.

Because interdisciplinary teams become specialists in treating certain disease sites, it is important to develop distress screening guidelines that best serve specific patient populations and their treatment.

Oncology Issues talked with Karen Clark, MS, manager of Supportive Care Programs, City of Hope, about the process, how the digital distress screening tool is currently integrated into the electronic health record (EHR), and next steps.

Because oral anti-cancer agents are most often administered outside of the clinic setting, it takes a multidisciplinary team to successfully manage these patients and their treatments.

In an interview with Oncology Issues, Dr. Weiss shares why she believes this work is important in all levels of healthcare—from the clinic to the boardroom.

Many times, being present, allowing the grief, and letting our patients know they aren’t alone is the only “treatment” we have. So, what sustains us? How do we do this every day?

At Northwest Medical Specialties, we, too, face challenges from staff stress and exhaustion. To address and overcome these challenges, our management team has made it a priority to bolster the resiliency of our staff.

In this article, the authors discuss revisions to the Optimal Care Coordination Model following beta testing to develop the final version, rationale for significant revisions, and nationwide dissemination of the Model.

Strategically leveraging the unique skills of the entire interdisciplinary team, including rehabilitation professionals, can help improve quality of life before, during, and after cancer treatment. Specifically, licensed healthcare providers, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists, can help mitigate the side effects of cancer or its treatments.

St. Luke’s Cancer Institute, formerly known as Mountain States Tumor Institute, established its medically integrated pharmacy in 2010 to manage patients on oral oncolytics. To improve the workflow in the medically integrated pharmacy and assist busy providers with patient care, St. Luke’s Cancer institute’s pharmacy management team discussed opportunities to expand pharmacist responsibilities, including the implementation of a collaborative practice agreement.

Providers and staff at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, along with published literature, report that patients want to receive their therapies in the outpatient setting when possible

Patients with cancer who face transportation barriers often find themselves at a crossroads: They must either continue to piece together various forms of assistance to try to complete a treatment regimen and protocol or throw in the towel altogether. Instead of reacting to patients’ needs after they fall out of compliance with their specified treatment, we pledged to proactively offer and find transportation assistance that meets all patient needs.

One important step toward supporting the health of Indigenous Peoples was the opening of the Center for Indigenous Cancer Research (CICR) at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in January 2020. Its mission: to reduce the impact of cancer on Indigenous communities regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Dr. Vijay Rao and Dr. Eric Stephen Rubenstein returned from a Global Cardio-Oncology Society meeting g with the realization that they could do much more to protect patients with cancer from potential cardiac toxicity of chemotherapy. The two shared one goal: to prevent the cancer survivor of today from becoming the heart failure patient of tomorrow.

Rather than fielding its annual Trending Now in Cancer Care survey while cancer programs were experiencing unprecedented challenges due to the extended public health emergency, ACCC chose to facilitate conversations with its members to capture the lived experiences of the most pertinent issues impacting oncology practice and care delivery.

Over the last several months, ACCC members have experienced a rising trend of payer-mandated white and brown bagging. ACCC will continue to monitor and update members about issues related to white and brown bagging.

In 2016, the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) initiated a three-year multiphase project to develop an Optimal Care Coordination Model (OCCM) for Medicaid patients with lung cancer that would help assess and strengthen care delivery systems by facilitating and expanding access to multidisciplinary coordinated care.

In 2019 the Association of Community Cancer Centers developed an education program to provide all members of the multidisciplinary care team knowledge and resources to help successfully integrate immunotherapies into the treatment of patients with RCC.

The OCCM was designed to be a usable framework that offers lung cancer programs, regardless of setting, size, and resource level, and the flexibility to conduct continuous assessments of care coordination practices and measure strengths and opportunities in the pursuit of optimal patient outcomes.

To improve the care of these patients, MaineHealth, Maine Cancer Care Network designed a study to explore the use of a 3D lung nodule tool to help providers educate patients during shared decision-making consults.

With the rise of immunotherapies, it is critical to ensure patient safety, as the toxicity profiles of immunotherapy agents are vastly different from traditional cytotoxic chemotherapies.

The issue of drug waste is nothing new in oncology. Drug vial optimization has been shown to be effective in using valuable medications that would otherwise have been wasted.

As the manager of Wellspring, a cancer resource center located just two miles from Valley Health Cancer Center at Winchester Medical Center in Virginia, I understand the importance of providing holistic care that meets the body, mind, and spiritual needs of our patients.

With the enormous pressures of COVID-19, the ever-increasing complexity of oncology care, and the persistent social factors that lead to medical injustice, it is difficult to think about tackling even one more job. Yet, we must, we can, and we do. Today I want to mention four specific areas that all cancer programs need to be watching, thinking about, and preparing for.

In the current transition to value-based care, avoidable ER utilization represents an opportunity for cost savings, but difficulties remain in determining what visits are and are not avoidable based on coding and billing data alone.

Key results from a national survey show a range of new initiatives.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated risks for patients with cancer, all Life with Cancer programming was cancelled on Mar. 12, 2020. Staff, struggling with their own anxiety over personal safety, quickly went into action on how best to continue to meet the psychological and educational needs of patients and families.

Cancer programs are facing multiple challenges related to treating patients in a COVID-19 environment. Cancer programs need to deploy systems and processes to help navigate these patients into the healthcare system and to work through the backlog of new patients with cancer as quickly as possible within existing resources.

The 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed the following changes specific to telehealth.

Our only means of contact with a patients was through his friend who lived near the abandoned house the patient stayed in and who could take his phone to the patient if needed. After a quick search online, I found two websites that offered cell phones to low-income patients at little to no cost to them.

As a CoC-accredited critical access hospital—one of only about a dozen nationwide—The Outter Banks Hospital has developed a quality program with a focus on removing rurally linked barriers to care.

Listed are my highlights of the ASCO 2020 abstracts, which were chosen if they were a practice-changing study or trial with important new advances.

Our results indicated that food insecure patients tended to complete fewer months of treatment than their food secure counterparts. Food insecure patients who refused assistance had the lowest number of months of completed treatment; most food insecure patients who received assistance completed more of their treatment.

Co-designing a model with patients, survivors, and the community.

We proposed creating an online video support group to enable patients with cancer who would otherwise have difficulty attending such groups to participate virtually.

To adequately address patient financial toxicity, institutions must assume responsibility for ensuring that patients understand their insurance coverage and anticipated out-of-pocket expenses. Institutions should also have procedures in place to navigate the pre-certification process and prevent claim denials that may ultimately end up as the patient’s responsibility.

As more evidence is showing, all the activities encompassed under the wellness umbrella can be applied to cancer prevention and the cancer care continuum.

Nutrition plays a critical role in cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship, and the registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) is an integral member of the multidisciplinary cancer care team.

Our team of young adult administrators quietly agreed that we were not doing all that we could for our young adult cancer patients. This session was our call to action. When we returned to our program, our team pledged do more for this often forgotten about patient population—the In-Betweeners.

This innovative program provides coordinated whole-person care, ensuring that patients receive the support they need through psychosocial counseling, social support, rehabilitation services, financial counseling, nurse navigation, nutritional intervention, transportation assistance, physical therapy, tertiary care referrals, and medication assistance. The GPS approach helps the cancer care team proactively identify patient needs and prepare patients for treatment.

Evidence-based diet and exercise interventions and programs that can improve cancer survivors’ quality of life and physical and mental health.

Despite the demonstrated need to implement evidence-based interventions that address the psychosocial and behavioral concerns of cancer survivors, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of community-based survivorship programs. To address this need, the Fort Worth Program for Community Survivorship—a community-based cancer survivorship program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth, Tex.—conducted a study involving more than 200 post treatment cancer survivors to evaluate the effectiveness of the program’s services.

With the advent of biologics decades ago, the practice of oncology was forever changed.

After integrating voice recognition software with its EMR, Mount Sinai Health System reduced physician workload, improved patient care, and streamlined clinic workflow. Physicians and staff shared that this process improvement initiative also improved their well-being, freeing clinicians up to spend more time doing what they want to do—caring for patients.

One VA Center improved patient education by developing an online resource for veterans with cancer. Although several barriers emerged during this quality improvement process, the VA Center was able to meet its patients needs and decrease their anxiety.

A step-by-step guide on how to develop and implement a health system-wide distress screening tool.

Poor executive function, attention and concentration deficits, and impairment to short term memory are a few of the symptoms of cancer-related cognitive impairment that can impact patients during- and post-treatment. Find out how patients present these symptoms and how assessment and screening can help early interventions.

Oral oncolytic agents have several advantages over the parenteral route, including patient convenience, prolonged drug exposure, and non-invasive administration.

A dynamic partnership with a technology company allowed one cancer program to improve patient education through the use of digital communication. Today patients receive emails or texts at crucial and targeted moments during their cancer treatment journey.

Creating and maintaining a survivorship care plan is a complex process, but it is essential to creating a survivorship compliance report that informs clinical and management team decision-making.

Americans who identify as a sexual and gender minority (LGBTQI) have unique healthcare needs that are not being met by most healthcare providers. Discover how improvement in communication, provider education, screening recommendations, and more can help bridge disparities in care.

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute’s Cancer and Aging Resilience (CARE) Clinic goes beyond reviewing cancer-specific treatment. This new care model pairs patients with a multidisciplinary team to assess patients for balance, cognition, nutrition, symptom management, and many more—all in one visit.

In response to the increasing complexity of oncolytic agents, the associated economic burden on the patient and health system, and the intricacies associated with alternative payment models (APMs), I suggest the need for widespread establishment of chemotherapy stewardship services.

Though the importance of post-cancer care is widely acknowledged, cancer programs and practices continue to struggle with the optimal approach for conducting dedicated survivorship visits. As a result, many patients still go without survivorship care. Telemedicine—which has increased access to care in numerous specialties—may offer one solution to these challenges

When people are diagnosed with cancer on the Navajo Nation—a 27,000-square-mile expanse of land that extends into Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico—many of them must travel hundreds of miles to receive even the most basic cancer treatment. Now, a small team of community leaders and national experts are working to change the situation.

With this dynamic change in treatment modalities comes a need to change our practice models to keep pace with innovation, quality care, and patient needs.

The cost of prescription drugs is at the forefront of discussions on healthcare reform. At our recent state oncology society meeting, the topic stimulated discussion about medication reuse and recycling programs

In this article we describe how ArtsCare delivers services aimed at improving the experiences of all those who have been affected by cancer.

This article outlines the process for designing and implementing a yoga therapy program for patients with cancer.

More oncology programs across the country are hiring scribes in their practices to improve patient-centered care, reduce physician burnout, and create administrative efficiencies.

In looking at cancer incidence data, Tri-Cities Cancer Center found that its region was experiencing a higher rate of late-stage lung and colorectal diagnoses than the national average. The cancer center developed a creative and humorous marketing campaign and workplace wellness program to raise awareness and increase screening compliance.

Patients with cancer experience a variety of difficulties in accessing and managing their medications. The Legacy Health Cancer Institute established an oncology pharmacy navigator to decrease barriers to patient access, reconcile medication lists, and alleviate the financial burden of cancer care.

In order to explore experiences and needs concerning cancer survivorship from both the provider and the patient perspectives, ACCC and NCCS partnered to field two online surveys to oncology providers and cancer survivors, respectively.

For patients with cancer experiencing symptoms outside of business hours or when same-day appointments are unavailable, the usual options are to wait until the next day or visit the emergency department (ED). However, ED visits come with clinical and financial risks for oncology patients. Read how The Clinical Cancer Center at Froedtert Hospital developed a 24-hour urgent care oncology clinic to reduce ED use, eliminate redundant services, and alleviate financial burden.

Early symptom management is key to improving quality of life for patients with cancer, and proactive monitoring delivers unparalleled survival advantage while decreasing emergency visits and admissions. However, immunotherapies require special attention and procedures. Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center earned a 2018 ACCC Innovator Award for their immunotherapy triage algorithms, which provide non-oncology physicians and nurses with the tools to manage IO patients and prevent unnecessary admissions.

In Louisiana, cancer incidence and death rates are greater than the national average. However, access to early phase clinical trials was nearly impossible to find. 2018 ACCC Innovator Award winner Ochsner Health System partnered with the Translational Genomics Research institute to establish a dedicated center to that accelerated treatment development and expanded patient access to precision medicines.

In the Department of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina North Carolina Cancer Hospital, discarding partial drug vials was a significant source of waste. With their Innovator Award–winning drug vial optimization program, the program maximized the lifespan of drugs within single-dose vials and realized an annual cost savings of more than $40 million.

When Kettering Health Network reorganized its operations by service lines, oncology had major problems—internal competition, communication deficits, inefficiencies, and a lack of infrastructure. Learn how Kettering united its oncology staff under “one best practice,” streamlined operations, increased patient volume, and decreased internal competition.

Most healthcare facilities provide information online and offer handouts to patients at their facilities. I suggest that cancer programs, professional organizations, and physicians should pivot toward “teaching” patients how to obtain quality, cutting-edge care in their own communities. Specifically, our profession should engage patients with sophisticated video-based patient education. That is why I created the Breast Cancer School for Patients.

Since the 2005 publication of From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition by the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine), the healthcare community has become more aware of the needs of cancer survivors and responded by developing survivorship services and programs.

The ACCC Immuno-Oncology Institute developed a multidisciplinary curriculum workshop bringing together faculty experienced in delivery of immunotherapy with cancer program staff in the earlier stages of IO integration. Over the past two years, these IO Visiting Experts Programs were hosted by ACCC Cancer Program Members nation-wide.

Because of its growing retirement-age population and its unique location on a barrier island, The Outer Banks Hospital saw patients with lung cancer presenting at too late a stage for curative treatment. Learn how the hospital created an LDCT program and partnered with local providers and community cancer centers to identify patients with lung cancer at an earlier stage.

While financial navigation programs ease the burden of financial toxicity on patients with cancer and help healthcare organizations with revenue loss, the manual nature of the process is challenging for navigators and financial advocates. Cowell Family Cancer Center piloted a financial navigation software program to analyze the effects of automation on productivity, workflow, and organizational alignment.

Exercise has been demonstrated to alleviate the effects of cancer-related fatigue, but patients with cancer may not understand the true scope of its benefits. Mount Sinai Downtown Cancer Centers created a quality improvement (QI) initiative to provide psycho-education on exercise during initial radiation treatments and throughout treatments.

Advanced practice providers entering the oncology workforce need more than graduation from an advanced practice program; formal training is necessary. Norton Healthcare began a continuous QI initiative to enhance existing orientation processes for closing this practice gap.

Lung cancer screenings are more effective and more affordable than ever before, but patient access still poses significant hurdles. Read how Levine Cancer Institute’s mobile lung LDCT unit brings lung screenings to underserved communities.

Dermatologic adverse events can have a profound impact on the physical, emotional, financial, and psychosocial health of cancer patients. Discover how the emerging collaborative subspecialty of supportive oncodermatology aims to address cancer-related dermatologic events.

The Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute implemented the Supportive Care of Oncology Patients (SCOOP) Program, which developed and implemented a clinical pathway that improved the patient experience and reduced the cost of care in selective curative cases.

The complexity of head and neck cancer management demands greater attention in order to provide high-quality care. UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center developed a well-defined care pathway to enable predictability and consistency in both care delivery and cost.

Fertility preservation is an increasing concern for adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer. However, not all newly diagnosed males discuss fertility preservation with a healthcare provider before treatment. This quality improvement project describes the oncofertility program development that was part of a larger goal to develop an AYA oncology program at our institution, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Mattel Children’s Hospital.

Pediatric radiation oncology services are frequently housed in academic medical centers and referrals for therapy may come primarily from outside organizations. This quality improvement initiative highlights the importance of pediatric patient preparation and teaching, which ultimately leads to improved patient safety, a better experience for patients and caregivers, and better quality of life.

Though the incidence of AIDS-defining cancers has decreased with the use of antiretroviral therapy, numerous studies suggest that non-AIDS-defining cancers (cancers not previously associated with HIV and AIDS) appear to be increasing in incidence.

Training in community-based psychological first aid is a promising intervention that promotes adaptive functioning by instilling individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to support oneself and others when stressful events occur.

In the face of changing patient demographics, Clearview Cancer Institute made a concerted effort to bolster their patient education program across several different methods of communication.

When SwedishAmerican Regional Cancer Center found itself unable to quantify performance in inpatient oncology, it saw an opportunity to break down barriers in communication and education between the inpatient and outpatient setting.

I have worked with oncology patients in some capacity for 25 years, but hearing “posttraumatic stress disorder” (PTSD) and “cancer” in the same sentence is a relatively new concept for most.

Though the concept of patient navigation is not new, the use of lay navigation teams across the continuum of a cancer journey is a novel approach to care coordination. Integrating lay navigators into the healthcare team empowers the clinical team to work at a higher level within the scope of their training.

In 2016 Virtua Cancer Program saw approximately 2,400 analytic cases across three ncampuses. Our two full-time (FTE) social workers were challenged to meet this high patient demand, and it soon became clear that improvements were needed

Secretary Alex Azar has expressed strong interest in revitalizing Medicare’s Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) and introducing negotiation into Part B drug pricing.

The role of the geriatric oncology ambulatory care clinic is important to the care of the older person in that it assembles a multidisciplinary team of oncology professionals specialized in aging and who work together to conduct comprehensive geriatric assessment and develop a cancer management plan.

Long, written descriptions of chemotherapy and its side effects, particularly when prescribing multiple drugs, are often ignored by patients who are overwhelmed by their cancer diagnosis and treatment. From the perspective of the patients, it was clear that all patients needed basic information regarding chemotherapy, including how to react to different situations while on chemotherapy and specifics about the drugs they were going to receive.

As the team of Northwest Medical Specialties discussed its approach to meeting OCM requirements, we realized that the program required rigor and processes like those found in clinical research programs, and an idea surfaced. Employing practices, procedures, and rules commonly used by those who work in a clinical research setting looked like a promising avenue for OCM implementation.

At University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, the Heart and Vascular Institute and the Kaufman Cancer Center have come together to create a cardio-oncology program that provides a patient-centered, multidisciplinary clinic for cancer patients during diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.

Learn how Inova Schar Cancer Institute’s Life with Cancer program, with more than 40 multidisciplinary staff members, comes together to offer psychosocial support and survivorship care.

2017 ACCC Innovator Award winner Mitchell Cancer Institute developed a universal oncology nurse navigation acuity tool that measures 11 factors directly impacting the need for and level of navigation services, including staging and diagnosis, co-morbidities, hospitalizations, and family support.

Discover how 2017 ACCC Innovator Award winner Advocate Medical Group developed and implemented an immunotherapy program, lessons learned, and tools created to educate staff and patients.

Through its Breast Care ACCESS Project, Summa Health redesigned its breast cancer care continuum to address disparities in treatment, reducing patient outmigration, increasing procedures and referrals, and lowering wait times.

Beaumont Health in metropolitan Detroit is actively preparing its physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) to provide patient-centered, diagnosis-specific, compassionate care to cancer patients through advanced training by development of an accredited clinical residency program in cancer rehabilitation.

Saint Luke’s Hospital’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer is one of the only centers in the United States dedicated solely to the comprehensive care of women with late-stage breast cancer.

Oncology Distress Screening: Distress prevalance, new standards, implementation

Growing a Psychosocial Oncology Program within a Cancer Center

A generation ago cancer care consisted of diagnosis, active treatment, and resigned palliation. Today, advances in cancer care have increased the number of people surviving a cancer diagnosis leading to a new dimension of care—cancer survivorship.

Learn how process improvements in an outpatient infusion center may strengthen financial performance. Included are a review process for non-formulary medications and new drug or service request form.

Storage, handling, and disposal of oral agents; possible drug-drug and drug-food interactions; dosing requirements, a plan for missed doses, a refill process; and more on what your patients need to know about oral agents.

In August 2015 the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released its much-anticipated “mega-guidance” on the 340B Drug Pricing Program, proposing new limits on the program but stopping short of a complete overhaul, prompting mixed reviews from stakeholders.

The Gwinnett Medical Center Breast Program Leadership Team saw an opportunity to create a more comprehensive diagnostic care pathway to include more timely results to breast biopsy patients, streamlined access to treatment specialists, and improved processes and communication with referring physicians.

Care coordination and communication between and among providers are among the core tenets of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA’s) evaluation program for specialty practices: Patient-Centered Specialty Practice (PCSP).

This QI project used a screening tool to capture all oncology patients at risk for malnutrition and developed strategies to reduce or eliminate financial barriers for patients needing nutrition services.

In order to minimize the challenges of time and resource allocation, Oncology Specialists, SC, set out to create a survivorship care plan (SCP) using its electronic medical record (EMR) as a tool to ease the clinician’s workload and time commitment, while still delivering patient-centered care at the end of treatment.

Catalyzing Patient-Centered Care

A key element in this design is the ability for patients to personalize their surroundings with lighting and other aesthetic features, giving patients an increased sense of control over their environment.

Oncofertility is a somewhat new term that is used to describe cancer-related fertility issues. Unfortunately, it is a cancer care domain that is often avoided or forgotten by clinicians.

Learn how HCA Virginia Health System implemented “entire continuum” oncology nurse navigation for breast cancer patients that improved patient and provider satisfaction, resulted in program growth.

From the National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators, a snapshot of navigators’ educational background, compensation, and day-to-day roles and responsibilities. (This article was published in 2013.)

By implementing a weekly outpatient nutrition clinic for patients with head and neck cancer, this 2014 ACCC Innovator Award winner improved patient quality of life and reduced the cost of care.

The shift from infused to oral agents has implications for patients and cancer programs. This 2011 ACCC Innovator Award winning program explains its pharmacist-managed approach.

From the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) learn about the role patient navigators can play in increasing clinical trial accrual.

This tool is intended to help cancer programs create a high-quality, patient-focused process that provides a return on investment (ROI). The tool presents the infrastructure and the basic building blocks for starting a patient navigation program, as well as a framework for cancer programs to set goals and benchmarks and to grow their navigation services.

Distress Screening for Oncology Patients

This 2013 ACCC Innovator Award winner describes how their health system achieved the goal of establishing guidelines and standards of practice in all rural sites, both within and outside the system, to better ensure patient safety and quality care.

Learn about the new “adequate nutrition” model that integrates systematic malnutrition screening of all oncology patients across their treatment, incorporating a validated malnutrition screening tool as the 7th vital sign.

Bridging the Psychosocial and Financial

At the Edward and Marie Matthews Center for Cancer Care, Plainsboro, N.J., the process for developing and implementing psychosocial distress screening began in January 2013.

In Arizona, Yuma Regional Medical Center Cancer Center leveraged the traditional Hispanic promotora, or community health worker, to reach high-risk and underserved populations.

ASCO 2017 was filled with new information and long lines as 39,000 oncologists worldwide came together to hear the latest advances in cancer care.

While oncology programs and practices must take into account numerous considerations when ramping up their oral chemotherapy services, this article focuses on one unique and very important role to facilitate this transition: the oral oncology nurse navigator.

Too often, the emotional burdens accompanying cancer lead to early withdrawal from chemotherapy, for example, and poor outcomes. However, a series of clinical studies suggest psychotherapy can counter those effects, with powerful implications for patients.

That’s My Farmer is a research-based nutrition and wellness program designed to educate cancer survivors through hands-on learning.

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pa., committed resources to develop a program to improve communication and education between oncology and primary care, and improve overall survivorship care.

In June 2014 Park Nicollet Oncology Research and Health-Partners Institute, Minneapolis, Minn., implemented a quality improvement (QI) initiative aimed at improving pain management in patients with cancer.

With the understanding that one-to-one mentoring services have proven effective in improving both quality of life and survival rates, the Center for Breast Health at Carroll Hospital developed a volunteer-run peer mentor program, Embrace Peer, in April 2014.

In the summer of 2014 staff at the Novant Health Derrick L. Davis Cancer Center (NHDLD Cancer Center), Winston-Salem, N.C., developed a screening method aimed at detecting women in our community who are at increased risk for breast cancer.

Through use of telehealth technology, patients at Baton Rouge General Medical Pennington Cancer Center’s three clinic locations have seamless access to nutrition services. 2016 ACCC Innovator Award recipient.

Using two mobile medical clinics, Mary Bird Perkins delivers more than 7,000 free screenings annually for breast, colorectal, prostate, skin, and oral cavity cancers.

Stony Brook Cancer Center created a nutritional program for cancer survivors and their families with the aim of providing resources to help understand the necessity of providing health meals at a reasonable cost, while incorporating stress reduction and physical activity in support of a health lifestyle.

In 2014 Cancer & Hematology Centers of Western Michigan looked to improve continuity of care—specifically patient transitions from the hospital inpatient to the outpatient setting.

In this article, we share the experience of the Duke Cancer Institute initiative to expand its capacity to engage the community and the health system towards achieving improved population and patient health outcomes.

In November 2014, St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI), Boise, Idaho, initiated a pilot program to determine the feasibility of a pharmacogenetic testing program in a community cancer program.

A focused prehabilitation (prehab) program couples physical therapy with holistic care that includes nutritional support, stress reduction strategies, and nurse navigator intervention. Integrating prehabilitation can not only improve patient outcomes post-surgery, it can also decrease hospital length of stay (LOS).

The Lancaster General Health Foundation has one fund that is devoted solely to supporting the financial needs of patients receiving treatment at the Cancer Institute: the Cancer Patient Support Fund.

As the healthcare payment landscape shifts from volume-based to value-based reimbursement, healthcare facilities need to look inward at their business performance to understand how to improve and adapt to this change.

Too often, teen and young adult cancer patients are treated in pediatric hospitals designed with young children in mind, or in adult hospitals alongside elderly cancer patients. These patients often feel like they are receiving treatment in a “no man’s land” where their particular needs are not supported.

At ACCC member Southside Regional Medical Center, an oncology nurse navigator heads up navigation and psychosocial services, including partnering with a local community agency to help meet high referral and patient demand.

Read how GW Cancer Institute developed national, consensus-based core competencies for oncology patient navigators and a corresponding online training module to equip navigators with the knowledge and skills needed to perform their roles effectively and efficiently.

It is incredibly important for managers and administrators to be able to report the true impact navigation programs have on cancer patients, as well as the cancer program.