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2020 Trending Now in Cancer Care

The COVID-19 pandemic presented cancer programs and practices with extraordinary professional and personal challenges, disruptions, and opportunities in 2020.

Rather than fielding its annual Trending Now in Cancer Care survey while cancer programs were experiencing unprecedented challenges due to the 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.

ACCC convened three focus groups in November-December 2020 to discuss the following topics:

Staffing and operational integrity
Service line delivery and revenue optimization
Telehealth and supportive technology
Clinical research
Health equity.

Participants revealed strains that tested institutional, professional, and personal resilience and transformed the dynamics of clinical and personal communication. But there were silver linings, from new operational approaches and workflows, telehealth innovation, and the remarkable resilience of cancer program staff.
Read Outcomes From the Focus Groups

From lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ACCC reaffirms its commitment to integrating a lens of health equity, diversity, and inclusion into all its work; developing opportunities to increase racial and ethnic minority clinical trials representation; advocating for reimbursement and coverage of telemedicine and virtual health services; and supporting the professional well-being of the cancer team so that it ultimately improves provider and patient satisfaction. To learn more, please visit the ACCC 2021-22 President's Theme page and explore the resources below.

Fast Facts

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Lived Experience Graphic

2020 Trending Now in Cancer Care Infographic 2

Podcasts

[MINI-PODCAST] Ep 64: A Summer of Disconnect for Cancer Professionals Jul 20, 2021
In this episode, we focus on the mental and emotional toll that COVID-19 continues to have on cancer care professionals—while much of the public experiences a “summer of joy” due to rising vaccinations.
[PODCAST] Ep 61: CLL Patient Education in Transitional Times Jun 29, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes and restrictions loosens for most of the U.S., we'll discuss how patient education has become even more critical during this transition.
[MINI-PODCAST] Ep 59: Collaboration and Innovation in the Time of COVID-19 May 25, 2021

We’ll delve into the dramatic changes in care delivery that Montefiore Health System underwent during the pandemic, lessons learned along the way that can help pave the way forward, and how the spirit of collaboration and innovation that emerged in 2020 will remain long after the pandemic.
[MINI-PODCAST] Ep 58: Impact of COVID-19 on Revenue Optimization May 18, 2021

Explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial health of cancer programs and practices across the country, from lower patient volume and screening interventions and decreased revenue streams.

From Oncology Issues

Implementing a Transportation Hub: A Holistic Approach to a Systemic Problem
Rachel Marquez, BS, MPH

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.
Carrie's TOUCH: Supporting Black Women with Breast Cancer
Maddelynne Parker and Tammie Denyse, M. DIV., MCL

With disparate breast cancer outcomes, lack of messages of hope, and limited available support for Black women, Rev. Tammie and her late sister were inspired to co-found Carrie’s TOUCH in 2006.
Center for Indigenous Cancer Research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Amanda Patton, MA

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.
Trending Now in Cancer Care
Alexandria Howson, PhD

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.

Institutional strategies to address the impact of low patient volume and reduced procedures on revenue also had direct financial consequences for cancer program staff. Many programs, or the health systems of which they are part, established revenue-protecting strategies.

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Related Resources

The ACCC COVID-19 Resource Center embodies the expertise, dedication, and generosity of ACCC members across the nation who have been deeply involved in caring for patients and establishing protocols for virus response since March 2020.
ACCC is committed to developing resources, education, and opportunities to better understand and support health equity initiatives in cancer prevention and detection, diagnosis and treatment, access to clinical trials, survivorship and end-of-life care.
Education addressing the immediate and ongoing needs of cancer programs and practices that want to implement, integrate, and expand their telehealth services to optimize patient care during the current public health emergency and beyond.
ACCC is committed to closing the gap in cancer research through optimal community oncology partnerships. Webinars, podcasts, blogs, and articles demonstrate practical strategies and solutions to help increase racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials.