All Management & Operations OI Articles

The UCSF Health team streamlined the process of seeking care from a cancer specialist by introducing web self-scheduling appointments. This innovation simplified the fragmented workflows of appointment scheduling and improved patient acquisition.

In addition to facilitating faster ordering and resulting of genomic testing, genomic integration with an EHR also led to streamlined workflow, reduced time to access results, and greater efficiency in clinical decisions for TriHealth.

Take a deep dive into the new reimbursement codes for patient navigation-related services now available to health care support staff.

In the dynamic, everchanging world of oncology, developing the strength of the multidisciplinary care team is paramount.

Discover the role of place of service codes in oncology billing.

Orlando Health Cancer Institute developed an express symptom management program to effectively triage and treat cancer related symptoms in the outpatient setting.

Learn how the creation of the first advanced practice radiation therapist role in the United States helped Mount Sinai establish a new model of inpatient care by elevating the radiation therapy skill set.

Oncology Hematology Care, Inc. launched a one-year quality improvement project to implement and standardize comprehensive biomarker testing in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Explore key changes in oncology billing and reimbursement in 2024.

ACCC partnered with the Hawaii Society of Clinical Oncology to conduct a landscape analysis of current regional activities, barriers, and interventions around the health care workforce shortage in Hawaii.

This multidisciplinary discussion seeks to develop a standardized framework that allows community oncologists to easily assess patients for CAR T-cell therapy, with a focus on large B cell lymphoma.

Oncology Issues editor-in-chief, Mark Liu, shares major takeaways from the 40th ACCC National Oncology Conference.

A deep dive into 4 topics discussed during a series of interactive sessions at the ACCC 49th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit: business and artificial intelligence technology, research and clinical trials, and precision medicine.

The shortage of chemotherapy drugs is placing a considerable burden on cancer care providers. To end this, ACCC is working its members, as well as other provider and patient advocacy organizations, to identify potential policy solutions.

The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Monument Health Cancer Care Institute leveraged a technology solution to improve infusion center efficiency, increase revenue, and reduce patient wait times.

To overcome the challenges facing the oncology workforce, cancer programs and centers must reimagine their care model with a focus on investing in a workforce that is equipped and ready to provide quality patient care.

Ochsner Health, Ochsner Cancer Institute developed a program to remotely monitor patients on intravenous or oral anti-cancer treatment.

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.

With the proper support and infrastructure from a cancer program or practice, precision medicine stewards can be important members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team—as they improve operational processes and increase efficiency.

In his first president's message, Olalekan Ajayi PharmD, MBA discusses his 2023-2024 ACCC President’s Theme: (Re)Building the Oncology Workforce to Deliver Next Generation Cancer Care.

Industry leaders share insights on the transformation of hospitals and health systems. All agree that the healthcare of the future will be delivered in ambulatory settings and that success will rest on implementing a technology-enabled delivery system.

Learn how one health care system is operationalizing the Just Ask™ implicit bias program to ensure equitable access to clinical trials.

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.

Dr. Penberthy's final Tech Talk as ACCC President was attended by more than 40 members, as speakers discussed the impact of big data and artificial intelligence.

While navigating the complexities of cancer care, healthcare professionals must remember the origin of their passion. They must remember their 'why.'

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.

An interview with Picture Health’s Anant Madabhushi, PhD, and Trishan Arul on the expanding role of AI and healthcare professionals in the fields of biomedical engineering and computer science.

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.

By leveraging technology, the effects of workforce shortages can be mitigated.

Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa., successfully developed a cardio-oncology program designed to implement best practices and guideline-based care, which resulted in an average growth in patient volume of 50 percent per year.

Health plans and payers often make it difficult for healthcare providers to deliver comprehensive cancer care by way of prior authorizations and potential denials of payment, making it critical for healthcare organizations to develop a plan of action.

As the transition from the Enhancing Oncology Model to the Oncology Care Model beckons, cancer programs will need to be proactive as they undergo certain operational changes.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services highlighted the vision of healthcare organizations and professionals for the coming year.

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.

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.

Medicare prior authorization requirements acts as a barrier to patients accessing necessary services and treatments, thus creating a need for reform.

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 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.

Independent oncology is critical to our healthcare system. Help independent oncology stay off the “endangered species” list by supporting adoption of new digital technologies.

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.

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 2021, CMS made significant changes to how evaluation and management (E/M) visits are coded and billed in the office and outpatient setting, updating a number of its transmittals to include new clarifications about several E/M-related activities.

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.

Because a recent JAMA article made a call to elevate health equity as the fifth aim for healthcare improvement, it’s clear that social work expertise and interventions have never been more important to comprehensive cancer care.

Despite the availability of vaccines, drugs, and monoclonal antibodies, the healthcare field is more challenged than ever with the Omicron variant.

Although community-based psychological first aid training is most often provided to prepare for front-line emergencies, Avera Cancer Institute recognized the potential for this training to help foster a culture of resilience and mutual support.

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

This cancer program needed to build an organizational and operational structure that would support change and encourage adoption and growth. The answer: the Daily Improvement Program.

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

As precision medicine becomes more common in the management of lung cancer, little is understood about the patient experience with biomarker testing, particularly of underserved patients. This study used survey and focus group methodology to determine patient perspectives on the educational needs within this community.

Under ACORI, ACCC helps community oncology programs access the tools, knowledge sharing, effective practices, and peer mentorships that can increase their ability to offer clinical trials.

Successful leaders will be those who adopt innovative and flexible staffing models, workflows, and processes.

In 2021, ACCC held a series of focus groups to learn how cancer programs are effectively implementing telehealth to manage symptoms and treatment side effects, deliver psychosocial screening and support services, and provide genetic counseling and testing.

If enacted, patients with cancer across the country will benefit from increased access and new fiscal protections, including universal paid family leave.

To meet patients’ needs during the height of the pandemic, this cancer program created a collaborative and more efficient hybrid-style Integrative Therapy Program for all of its oncology sites.

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

In the absence of a successor to the Oncology Care Model (OCM), the future looks bleak.

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

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

Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and from healthcare organizations actively engaged in assessing care delivery through the lens of health equity can serve as guideposts for the oncology community on the path to making cancer care more equitable.

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.

This ACCC education program shares key highlights from a national survey of thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists on the barriers that exist in the ideal management of patients with NSCLC.

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.

The purpose of this study was to assess patient, disease, and medication-related factors that affect the rate of unplanned readmissions before next chemotherapy cycle or within 30 days since last chemotherapy admission in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Thirty-six medical oncologists, practicing at 21 sites in groups that ranged in size between 1 and 8, were paid according to 14 variations of 9 individual practice plans. We felt that the window of opportunity was optimal to convert individual sites into a functionally cohesive and interactive group using financial goals and rewards to encourage behavioral changes.

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.

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.

There has been a flurry of activity from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human Services, and Health Resources and Services Administration, including the release of the CMS calendar year (CY) 2022 proposed rules for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System. Below is a summary of how these notifications may impact oncology.

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.

As the United States healthcare system moves to value-based and bundled payments under alternative payment models, it is now more important than ever for cancer programs and practices to quantitatively and qualitatively measure to show the value that supportive cancer care services bring to patients.

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.

The idea for a Transitional Oncology Nurse Academy originated from two executive RN administrators, whose collective years of experience working as leaders in the inpatient setting at hospitals, such as Baptist Hospital of Miami, and creating training programs for specialties, such as orthopedics and neuroscience, made developing a transitional nursing program in oncology a natural fit.

Mercy Cancer Care responded to OP-35 was by developing an internal report that predicted the metrics for one of its larger oncology practices.

ACCC, along with other stakeholders, signed a letter of support for legislation to recognize certified genetic counselors as healthcare providers, giving beneficiaries improved access to these services.

Though the current public health emergency (PHE) is anticipated to be extended through the end of 2021 by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the fate of telehealth after the PHE remains a concern for providers.

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.

One of the ways in which community oncology is helping to close gaps in cancer research is through participation in the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program clinical trials. The Lahey Health Cancer Institute, a part of the Beth Israel Lahey Health System, continues to expand access to clinical trials and, in particular, the NCI National Clinical Trials Network into the community by partnering with affiliated community hospitals.

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.

It is well documented, even beyond Tennessee Oncology's OCM experience, that patients with cancer generally have some type of hospital-related costs during their disease treatment. Understanding the impact of these real-time alerts and data, Tennessee Oncology formed a Care Transformation Team with the focus of addressing admissions in real time, as well as follow-up care for discharges.

As the senior director of cancer services at Spectrum Health Lakeland in St. Joseph, Mich., I led a breakout session at the 37th [Virtual] ACCC National Oncology Conference in September 2020, where I shared tips for effective and positive leadership in oncology. The first step to becoming an effective leader is to understand the type of leader you are—even if you hold an informal leadership position.

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.

Oncologists may not be on the frontline taking care of patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units or emergency departments, but we do have the chance to advocate for vaccination to win the race against this deadly virus.

In 2020 ACCC offered quality improvement programs designed to optimize care for patients with multiple myeloma.

In 2020 ACCC offered quality improvement programs designed to optimize care for patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

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.

With the innovation of electronic health records (EHRs) and the ability for many of these processes to be completed without a single printed page, if you are not already doing so due to COVID-19, now is the time to allow cancer registry staff to work remotely—either a few days a week or full time—depending on the needs of the facility.

In my breakout session at the 37th ACCC [Virtual] National Oncology Conference, held Sept. 14-18, 2020, I shared that mentorship is often the missing link to facing these staffing challenges.

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.

In my new role at ACCC as senior director, cancer care delivery and health policy, I am excited to take over writing this bimonthly column and communicating to our multidisciplinary membership about pertinent workforce, reimbursement, and cancer care delivery issues.

Cancer programs of all types across the U.S. face similar challenges in providing quality care for women with ovarian cancer. Multiple stakeholders can contribute to QI solutions with a team approach and clear communication around quality gaps.

Understanding the pressures that its member programs and practices continue to face, ACCC is actively looking at how it can support the membership, including providing on-demand education, training, and resources to fit into your schedule—at a time and place most convenient for you during this extended public health emergency.

One of the many lessons we learned in 2020 was that anything can happen and if it was related to regulatory changes, it was likely to change or be delayed, and 2021 has not disappointed.

This is the story of how a large independent practice in northwest Arkansas has nurtured its research program over several decades and is now able to offer patients access to phase I, II, and III trials close to home and their families.

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.

In this article, we describe patients’ perspectives on participation in CCDR studies based on feedback and comments received from patients during our research. Insights reveal the importance and enthusiasm for CCDR studies expressed by patients, and their perspectives on these studies will inform future research and clinical practice toward high quality, patient-centered care delivery.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the American Medical Association finalized its coding updates for CY 2021.

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.

Since those early days so much has changed in our world. The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented challenges, both within the healthcare industry and the world at large. Though we have witnessed much unrest, we have already made it through some very difficult times with stories of great heroism and innovation, especially within the healthcare industry.

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.

On Dec. 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS) issued the final rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for CY 2021.

On Dec. 2, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final rules for the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS or OPPS) for CY 2021.

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.

On Oct. 5, ACCC provided comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the agency’s proposed CY 2021 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) rules.

With more than 25 years of oncology nursing experience and more than 18 years as an oncology nurse practitioner, Christa Braun-Inglis, MS, APRN-Rx, FNP-BC, AOCNP, has a wealth of clinical expertise.

All it takes is one. One person, one email, one click, to grant cybercriminals access to your confidential files, your applications, and your patients’ protected health information.

A supportive care option to prevent hair loss for women—and men—undergoing chemotherapy.

Cyberattacks can take place against any entity on any scale, striking both individuals and multinational companies with consequences big and small. As we have seen repeatedly, not even the largest companies with the most sophisticated security resources at their disposal are immune from security breaches.

Part of the hardship of COVID-19 is that the imperative to stay well by sheltering in place eliminates the option for group gatherings and other much-needed sources of peer support. As with many other groups and organizations, some cancer programs and practices have reached out to their patients virtually to provide the encouragement they once enjoyed in face-to-face support groups.

When an area is medically under-resourced, it can have a negative effect on care coordination, leading to delays in advanced imaging, diagnostic procedures, and surgical interventions. Advanced practice providers (APPs)—which our system defines as both nurse practitioners and physician assistants—can help improve access to quality care in the rural setting.

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.

City of Hope’s bone marrow transplant program has performed more than 16,000 transplants and continues to be one of the largest and most successful programs in the nation.

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.

On Aug. 4, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2021 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rules.

Oncology has always faced challenges, and cancer care teams are ever ready to change course and do what needs to be done to care for our patients and their families. But we do not have to do this alone. ACCC stands ready to assist.

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.

What can those experiencing cancer and its overwhelming unpredictability teach us about dealing with COVID-19?

Though tumor boards continue to be the standard for multidisciplinary conferences in most cancer programs, the evolving nature of medicine and the merging of individual provider organizations into large healthcare institutions have made this process impractical. Increasingly, traditional tumor boards are giving way to prospective multidisciplinary conferences that allow ongoing evaluation of a patient and patient participation in the discussion, improving shared decision making.

In 2018 the Oncology Service Line recognized the potential to improve the patient experience with the development and implementation of a mobile radiation oncology application (app). This app supports the healthcare organization’s goal to deliver a patient experience that is simpler, builds loyalty, and reduces patient anxiety.

Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) act on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a direct point of contact for claims submission and payment, policy establishment, and special pricing of services.

The professional relationship between Caroline Chevallier Hackney as part of the registry staff at CHI St. Joseph Health in Bryan, Tex., has just become matter of fact. I had to remind myself of how this all started, two years ago, before she moved to Mozambique in southeast Africa.

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.

Today, genetic counseling is a key service along the entire cancer care continuum, from prevention to screening to treatment and into survivorship.

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.

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.

A holistic Self-Care and Resiliency Program for Oncology Professionals has helped to decrease oncology staff burnout rates. Key components include Patient Remembrance Ceremonies, staff support groups, educational opportunities, and social events.

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

The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) is one of the Medicare payment systems that applies to facility-based settings, which include, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), critical access hospitals (CAHs) and excepted off-campus provider-based departments.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) is one of the Medicare payment systems that applies to physicians (even those employed by hospitals) and non-facility-based settings, which include offices, freestanding facilities, and nonexcepted off-campus provider-based departments. Reimbursement under MPFS is based on relative value units (RVUs) that represent the work, practice expense (direct and indirect), and malpractice values assigned to each code.

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.

The coding updates for calendar year (CY) 2020 have been finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical association (AMA).

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.

Dr. Lija Joseph, a pathologist at Lowell General Hospital, Mass., implemented a pathology consultation program to help cancer patients better understand how the disease affects their bodies. Based on strong patient interest, Dr. Joseph established a Twitter presence to spread the word about the benefits of patient and pathologist interactions.

Through a community engagement session and focused interviews, researchers from Duke University School of Medicine, N.C., held a consortium to help stakeholders identify barriers to inflammatory breast cancer awareness, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment. Today the Duke Consortium for Inflammatory Breast Cancer is committed to translating research into action.

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.

Using its EHR and billing data to examine key metrics—including charge lag, patient registration, and insurance verification—the Nancy N. and J. C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler identified four key effects of the “silo mentality” on its cancer program. Focusing on efficiency and urgency, the program broke down its silos, reducing waste and incorrect denials, improving cash flow, and alleviating patient—and program—financial toxicity.

On July 26, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the requirements for appropriate use criteria (AUC) consultation for advanced diagnostic imaging exams.

In 2018, as St. Tammany Cancer Center worked to continue its American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) accreditation, the cancer center was hosting five monthly conferences: biweekly breast, lung, gastrointestinal conferences, and a general conference.

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

St. Vincent Hospital implemented a collaborative method of care that uses genetic counselor extenders to increase patient access to risk assessment and genetic testing.

Dr. Farley directs Christiana Care Health System’s strategy to promote the professional fulfillment and personal well-being of its caregivers—and, subsequently, its patients.

Being aware of how burnout manifests itself can help supervisors and staff identify the condition early.

The amazing advances seen in cancer care are the result of successful completion of clinical trials. But the fact is that we could do so much better.

At the ACCC 45th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit, I announced my 2019-2020 President’s Theme: Collaborate. Educate. Compensate: A Prescription for Sustainable Care Delivery.

Many cancer program leaders say that improving patient access and the patient-centeredness of care delivery are key strategic imperatives.

Ask any oncologist—or healthcare provider, for that matter—what their least favorite part of their job is and the overwhelming response would be the process of obtaining prior authorization for care.

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.

Caring for patients with cancer is inherently stressful, but many cancer team members say that their difficulties go beyond the expected emotional strain. Robin Hearne, RN, MS, director of Cancer Services and Chronic Disease Care at The Outer Banks Hospital, elaborates on the burdens of bureaucracy and shares the programs she’s developed to provide staff with necessary tools for patient and self-care.

Due to radiation oncology’s focus on disease, palliative radiation therapy often involves lengthier courses than necessary and extended wait times, posing financial and logistical challenges for patients. Mount Sinai Hospital’s Department of Radiation Oncology and the Tisch Cancer Institute established a specialized service model to increase the use of short-course radiation treatments, reduce the lengths of hospital stay, and improve access to palliative care services.

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.

As the price of new cancer treatments continues to rise, physicians in both the inpatient and outpatient settings need to factor cost as well as efficacy into treatment plans. Julie Kennerly-Shah, PharmD, MS, MHA, facilitates the Hematology Oncology Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, determining which agents will be available to providers for treatment and if restrictions will be placed on those medications.

The Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) for improper payment analysis was implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to identify and measure improper payments in the Medicare Fee-for-Service program.

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.

Burnout among U.S. healthcare clinicians is a national concern, and cancer care is no exception. To gauge the level of burnout in the cancer care team, ACCC surveyed its membership and created a hub for team well-being resources.

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.

Early identification, staging, and diagnosis of lung cancer is critical to improving patient outcomes. However, current diagnostic options are limited in accuracy, safety, and invasiveness—only 15 percent of patients with lung cancer are diagnosed at an early stage. Read how Fox Chase Cancer Center has implemented new flexible robotic endoscopic technology to diagnose hard-to-reach lung nodules with greater precision than ever before.

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.

Though stemming burnout at the source is vital work, it is also important to recognize and alleviate symptoms as they appear. One such symptom is decreased workforce retention.

Ready or not, the requirement to consult Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-approved Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) when ordering advanced imaging studies is on its way and is slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

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.

Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screenings are a critical tool in detecting early-stage malignancies in at-risk patient populations. Read how the Lefcourt Family Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center recruited physician champions, implemented infrastructure, and reached out to their community to address a high-risk catchment area.

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.

CRISPR, a gene editing tool, has entered the scientific arena and public discourse at an astounding speed. Eric B. Kmiec, PhD, director of the Gene Editing Institute at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, discusses the emergence of gene editing, how it can be utilized as a tool in the battle against cancer, and the challenges facing its transition from bench to bedside.

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.

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.

Medical science representatives possess critical information about new drug regimens, protocols, and indications. However, scheduling them often requires a part-time position that few practices can afford—it’s a catch-22.

Effective Oct. 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will add 279 new codes, revise 143 existing codes, and deactivate 51 codes in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) classification.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) recently hosted live continuing medical education (CME)-certified learning workshops at two community cancer programs to review current barriers to immunotherapy implementation in the community setting. During the workshops, an expert faculty panel engaged participants in discussion on the challenges that they may face as they integrate immunotherapy into their clinical practice, as well as practical solutions and strategies they can apply to overcome these barriers. This article summarizes the guidance and information provided by the faculty on the various issues raised during the workshop discussions.

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.

On June 27, 2018, ACCC convened the sixth Institute for the Future of Oncology forum in Washington, D.C., to bring together interdisciplinary experts and key stakeholders to discuss my Presidential theme: “Reflect, Renew, Reignite: Creating a Resilient Oncology Team in Your Community.”

A multidisciplinary approach allows the formation of partnerships between expert professionals that extends beyond the boundaries of their individual specialties, reduces the potential for miscommunication, and eliminates the fragmentation of services that was once common in cancer care.

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.

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.

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.

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

The ongoing balancing act of staffing and retention is one of the most challenging issues in healthcare today. In specialty areas such as oncology, staffing presents an even more difficult challenge. Finding qualified individuals with the right experience to fill open positions can be a taxing, time-consuming task.

Cancer patients are typically treated with approaches ranging from surgery and radiotherapy to chemotherapy or immunotherapy. However, millions of patients every year seek additional options from a menu of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

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.

In 2016, Valley Health, a not-for-profit healthcare system serving patients in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, partnered with a local dermatology office and various community and state stakeholders on a common goal to educate our community about smart sun protection decisions and the importance of skin cancer screenings.

St. Joseph Hospital and St. Jude Medical Center combined their neuro-oncology conferences and used video technology to facilitate and improve provider collaboration between institutions. The working model evaluates and addresses current needs while allowing room for additional program growth, having a positive impact on the lives of patients and increasing engagement of physicians within the local community.

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.

Social workers in cancer centers typically provide psychosocial services to patients, families, and caregivers facing the impact of a cancer diagnosis.

Read about the integrative and complementary therapies WellStar Cancer Network provides for its patients. These services act as a “hub for healing” at the new WellStar Cancer Center.

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.

Before enactment of the Affordable Care Act, hospitals began to purchase physician practices and, by converting these locations to outpatient hospital departments, were able to bill for both the professional fee on the CMS1500 claim form and the facility charges on the UB04 claim form.

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.

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.

The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS or OPPS) is not intended to be a fee schedule, in which separate payment is made for each coded line item. Instead, the OPPS is currently a prospective payment system that packages some items and services, but not others.

The Susan P. Wheatlake Regional Cancer Center lacked the infrastructure to fund survivorship and navigation software, but still needed to assess how to meet needs, procure service affiliations, and facilitate access to services in a fiscally responsible manner.

Since 1992, Medicare has paid for the services of physicians, non-physician practitioners, and certain other suppliers under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS or PFS).

St. Luke's University Health Network aligned its cancer community needs assessment (CNA) with its network Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to achieve measurable goals.

The 2018 Medicare final regulations, code updates, and other reimbursement changes will bring significant compensation shifts for oncology providers.

In the summer of 2012 the Ruttenberg Cancer Center, New York, N.Y., developed and implemented a web-based patient tracking system to improve patient flow and enhance the patient experience.

The Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI) has a long history of providing the nurturing care of a community-based hospital while giving patients access to the latest cancer therapies. In 2013 we took on the question of how to integrate personalized, genomic medicine into our program.

In 2010 Stephen Cattaneo, MD, formed a thoracic oncology working group and implemented the Rapid Access Chest and Lung Assessment Program (RACLAP) at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) in Annapolis.

Research has demonstrated the importance of symptom management and the optimization of the health and comfort of patients undergoing cancer therapy, resulting in improved function and quality of life (QOL).

This year we have challenges with physicians and hospitals scrambling to update their respective chargemasters, fee schedules, and other reimbursement documents because in 2015 there are different procedure codes reported based on the radiation oncology setting.

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.

What is the correct number of physicians and support staff needed to meet the requirements of the cancer program? There may not be a single answer to this complex question.

Concerned about our nursing staff, their stressors, and the sometimes competing priorities, cancer program leadership began to brainstorm ways to increase the amount of “touch time” nurses experienced with their patients in our busy infusion therapy clinic.

Recognizing that there were both issues with and opportunities for improvement of scheduling coordination and patient flow, an integrated team of clinicians, schedulers, and administrators came together in 2012 to conceptualize a patient access initiative called “Bedside Scheduling.”

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.

For CY 2015, CMS will continue base payments on geometric mean costs

This article describes molecular subtyping and shows how it is changing both the understanding of breast cancer and how to treat it. The article summarizes the most important new studies and details the impact of this new information for community cancer centers.

While nurse practitioners (NPs) working within the specialty field of oncology are expected to assume the cancer care provider role, some may come with limited cancer experience and knowledge. The web-based education resource discussed in this article can help ensure that these providers have a basic level of knowledge to support safe, quality cancer care.

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).

As the U.S. healthcare system undergoes transformative change, cancer programs will require a multifaceted administrative leader to ensure that the program thrives and maintains an acceptable ROI on the significant investments required to deliver quality patient-centered care.

TMMC’s commitment to relieve disability and improve the quality of life of cancer survivors includes program development of exercise, diet, relaxation techniques, and numerous other rehabilitation interventions.

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.

In 2013, ACCC proceeded with Phase II, Learning Labs for Process Improvement, a program for member institutions that focused on improving molecular testing at the system level through experiential learning labs.

To see how lean methodology could be used to evaluate current molecular testing processes, identify waste, and design an improved process for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the community setting, a pilot study was conducted at St. Joseph Hospital, Orange, Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment (SJH), located in Orange County, Calif.

Unexpected radiologic findings in the lungs (incidental lung lesions) on a diagnostic CT pose a risk of lack of follow-up and follow through for patients.

This article clarifies the role that community needs assessments play in helping oncology programs achieve or maintain accreditation while also creating effective programs and outreach strategies that respond to identified cancer care needs in the community

There are procedure codes to report care management services, providing that all documentation requirements are met. It is important to note that while these are billable procedure codes, not all insurers reimburse for these services.

Since 1992, Medicare has paid for the services of physicians, non-physician practitioners, and certain other providers under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS).

Ensuring compliance with the myriad of coding and billing regulations is everyone’s job, so make sure you are connected to your Compliance Department, or take the responsibility for compliance into your own hands.

Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are integral members of the multidisciplinary cancer team that provide care for this chronic patient population.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the organization rewriting the book on how to fight a deadly disease. In the 16 years since our founding, we’ve focused on attacking pancreatic cancer on all fronts.

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.

Duke University Medical Center and Four Seasons Compassion for Life have partnered with the Global Palliative Care Quality Alliance to institute an ambitious plan to standardize quality measurement, promote comparison of data on quality, and share best practices across academic and community palliative care organizations.

The goal of oral anticoagulation is to maintain levels of anticoagulation capable of preventing thromboembolic events without increasing the risk of hemorrhagic complications.

Copy and Paste—CMS to the Rescue!

While young people across the U.S. are able to access more information through technology with greater speed, they may be misinformed or lack understanding of how unhealthy behaviors can put their health at risk.

If you treat Medicare Advantage patients, you must also know your HCCs (hierarchical condition categories) and your ICDs (International Classification of Diseases).

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.

This article presents a framework for collaboration between small community oncology programs—often located in rural settings—and large cancer centers—often located in urban settings.

The nurse practitioner (NP) and clinical nurse specialist (CNS) are the advanced practice nurses (APNs) primarily working in the field of oncology.

With the advent of ICD-10-CM, providers on the receiving end of referrals are expecting complete and accurate clinical information that may ultimately be used for diagnosis code assignment to be part of the referral process. But what if the oncologist is the physician referring a patient for a diagnostic imaging study?

Learn how oncology disease-site process mapping can streamline your cancer program’s operations and decrease duplication of services.

Occasions arise when treating a patient where an evaluation and management service and a surgical or infusion service or another procedure occur on the same date.

Global Cancer Institute (GCI) is the only non-profit completely focused on improving survival rates for under-served cancer patients worldwide.

Read how The Outer Banks Hospital and five other cancer programs joined forces to create a prospective peer review model for radiation therapy.

Eliminating barriers to care in rural health communities is paramount to improving social work practice in cancer care delivery. The Providence St. Joseph Health Cancer Program utilized student volunteers to deliver a higher quality of care.

Currently, nearly 2.3 million U.S. inmates (about 1 percent of U.S. adults) must rely on their jailers for healthcare. However, there is little nationally available data on the health and healthcare of America’s prisoners.

Sometimes referred to as the “terminator,” glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer.

Banking of biological specimens can advance oncology research efforts by providing valuable resources from participants and promoting collaborative partnerships.

The ACCC education project, “Real-World Experiences in Immunotherapy Delivery,” addresses some of the practical issues that cancer programs must navigate to provide immunotherapy safely and effectively in their own communities.

It is an act of Congress, specifically section 218 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014, which requires all physicians ordering advanced imaging studies to consult government-approved, evidence-based appropriate use criteria through a clinical decision support system.

This article shares how Cone Health System identified high-cost patients, or “hot-spotters,” and put processes and systems in place to not only improve care for these patients but also reduce costs.

As reimbursement continues to shrink through bundling, packaging, service consolidation, and other changes to insurance payment systems, many providers are training staff to collect coinsurance, deductibles, co-payments, and other patient cost-shares at the time of service.

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.

Scheduling patients with varying treatment lengths is a lot like Tetris, only the odds of winning are stacked much more against you for a variety of reasons.

Telephone triage has become an integral part of ambulatory care, both in terms of increasing interaction between patients and providers, and controlling healthcare costs. Yet, the expectation for nurses to manage patient care over the telephone often brings increased demands and anxieties.

As cancer treatment evolves with the emergence of genomics, personalized therapies, and immunotherapies, care delivery must also transform.

MA17-Soreness-Discomfort-Aches-&-Pains

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.

The CY 2017 conversion factor is estimated to be $35.8887, which is slightly higher than the 2016 conversion factor of $35.8043.

Increasing HPV vaccination is one of the most achievable cancer prevention opportunities and it has recently become a public health priority. The Outer Banks Hospital chose the complex (and somewhat controversial) cancer prevention initiative to improve HPV vaccination rates in our local schools.

In CY 2017, outpatient hospital payment rates will increase by 1.7 percent and CMS will continue the statutory 2.0 percentage point reduction in payments for hospitals that fail to meet the hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program requirements.

The 2017 final regulations, code updates, and other reimbursement changes once again bring challenges to oncology coding and billing.

When emerging studies concluded that early palliative intervention with cancer patients leads to better quality of life and reduces cost of care, palliative care became a focus for Kaufman Cancer Center leadership.

In 2011, Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment at St. Joseph Hospital initiated a study to measure patient compliance with post-therapy surveillance in women treated using state and federal safety net funding.

Despite potential roadblocks, such as organizational restructuring, competitive pressure from external markets, and increased data demands from both public and private payers, it is possible to establish creative and attain-able goals within a strategic plan.

Effective Oct. 1, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will add or update approximately 1,943 diagnosis codes in the ICD-10-CM coding classification.

This article describes the experience of one NCI-designated Cancer Center that has received extensive philanthropic funds to develop supportive care services for cancer patients.

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.

Many community cancer programs do not have the infrastructure, institutional resources, or qualified personnel to carry out the myriad tasks involved in accruing and maintaining patients on cancer clinical trials.

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.

Advance directives only work if the individual understands the document, his or her surrogate understands the individual’s wishes, the physician is aware of the document’s existence, the physician complies with the surrogate’s instructions, and the document is revised as an individual’s condition and goals change.

In 2014 PIH Health Hospital, Whittier, Calif., initiated a lung cancer screening program with the goal of early detection, improving the quality and timeliness of lung cancer care, and refining communication among the multidisciplinary treatment team.

Productivity and staffing in an ambulatory oncology infusion center can be challenging. A shortage of skilled applicants to fill staffing needs adds further challenges. Such was the case at The Valley Hospital in northeast New Jersey.

EMMC Cancer Care found that a real-time location system not only helped staff communicate the status of patients, it also streamlined patient flow through the facility, improving staff efficiency, reducing wait times, and enhancing patient safety—ultimately optimizing the patient experience.

Extending precision cancer clinical trials to community cancer programs is a primary goal of the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN), a partnership of some of the leading NCI-designated Cancer Centers nationwide.

This article reviews the keys to developing a successful oncology-specific IT strategy in a continuously changing IT environment.

In order to be reimbursed for telehealth services, specific criteria must be met and unique procedure codes and modifiers must be appended to identify the services performed.

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.

The best cancer programs will be those that actively involve patients and their families in all aspects of their care. Indeed, if we are to be successful in competing for these patients, we must fully embrace the concept of patient engagement.

In a day and age when multi-tasking is becoming the norm, cancer registrars are doing far more than case-finding, abstracting, and follow-up.

Since 1992, Medicare has paid for the services of physicians, non-physician practitioners, and certain other suppliers under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS).

Again this year oncology practices and cancer programs scramble to update their respective chargemasters, fee schedules, and other reimbursement documents to ensure compliance with coding and billing guidelines.