RWJ Barnabas Health

Russell Langan, MD, FACS, FSSO
Associate Chief Surgical Officer, System Integration and Quality & Director of Surgical Oncology
RWJBarnabas Health, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Livingston, New Jersey

A Sustainable Model for Improved Quality for Pancreatic Cyst Surveillance and Early Pancreatic Cancer Detection

This AI-driven incidental findings program identifies and then monitors pancreatic abnormalities to improve the quality of care to patients who are at increased risk for developing pancreatic cancer. To do so, the patient management software integrates with the electronic health record and facilitates patient identification, risk assessment, care plan tracking, patient and provider communication, outcomes recording, and registry functionality. In the 2 years following program implementation, 82 pancreatic cancers were detected from incidental findings with 65% of patients being diagnosed in earlier stages (stages I, II, and II), as well as instances of ampullary cancer, gallbladder cancer, and gastric cancer.