ACCC Announces 6th Annual Innovator Award Winners

ROCKVILLE, MD. – Eight cancer programs that have exhibited forward-thinking strategies and developed groundbreaking programs and creative solutions have received an Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 2016 Innovator Award. Innovations pioneered by the award winners include training programs designed to improve provider communication and care coordination, access to free mobile clinics to reach underserved populations, community outreach campaigns emphasizing the importance cancer prevention and HPV vaccinations, and initiatives to improve the patient understanding of opioid use and decrease out-of-pocket costs.

This year’s winners are:

• Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Pennington Cancer Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Cone Health System, Cone Health Cancer Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Park Nicollet HealthPartners, Frauenshuh Cancer Center, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
• Sanford USD Medical Center, Sanford Cancer Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• The Outer Banks Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital Cancer Services, Nags Head, North Carolina
• University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, Kaufman Cancer Center, Bel Air, Maryland

"ACCC is proud of our 2016 Innovator Award winners, and their exceptional commitment to enhancing quality cancer care in their communities," said ACCC President, Jennie R. Crews, MD, MMM, FACP. "On behalf of ACCC, I would like to congratulate this year's winners for their roles in developing outstanding, patient-focused programs that will inspire others working in cancer care."

Since 2011, the ACCC Innovator Awards have honored exceptional cancer programs that advance the goal of improving cancer care access, quality, and cost-effectiveness. The 2016 award recipients presented details of their outstanding programs and replicable models at the ACCC 33rd National Oncology Conference, October 19-21, 2016, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Following is more information on this year’s award-winning programs:

• Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Pennington Cancer Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  Tele-Health Technology Connects Patients with Nutrition Services
  When Pennington Cancer Center expanded radiation oncology services to three locations, the program turned to tele-health to increase patient access to nutrition services. Patients can receive a nutrition screening and assessment from a dietitian via video-conference while patients are at their designated campus for treatment. This approach eliminated the need for patients to schedule multiple appointments, reducing additional travel. Incorporating tele-health has also minimized the dietitian’s commute, allowing her to offer services to more patients and caregivers.
• Cone Health System, Cone Health Cancer Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
  The Study of High Cost Oncology Patients to Improve Care and Curb Costs
  Cone Health Cancer Center analyzed Medicare data to locate its “hot-spotters”—chronically ill, high-cost, super-users of healthcare services—and assess gaps in care and improvement opportunities, while curbing costs. Cone Health’s data justified the creation of new programs to reduce ER utilization, improve cross-silo multidisciplinary care, manage acutely-ill patients, integrate end-of-life services, and fill gaps in their oncology service line in novel, cost-cutting ways.
• Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  Enhancing Survivorship through Improved Provider Communication, Care Coordination, and Professional Education
  Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) Care Connect facilitated care coordination among oncologists and primary care physicians (PCPs) to meet the needs of a growing cancer survivor population. PCPs participated in training programs on the integration of cancer prevention education, screenings, ongoing treatment, and survivorship care plans, resulting in a seamless continuum of patient care. FCCC employed internal awareness strategies, patient outreach, external marketing, and ongoing provider education to launch the pilot and guide the program’s expansion.
• Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  Early Detection of Cancer for the Medically Underserved
  Since 2002, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has operated two year-round, mobile medical clinics to provide free screenings for multiple cancer types with follow-ups on abnormal findings by patient navigators. Culturally appropriate practices eliminate barriers to care, data-driven tools monitor health outcomes by zip code, and strategic partnerships maximize patient transitions throughout the care continuum.
• Park Nicollet HealthPartners, Frauenshuh Cancer Center, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
  Establishing Personal Pain Goals in Oncology Patients to Improve Patient Care and Decrease Costs
  Opioids remain a mainstay for oncology pain management, but long-term use poses numerous challenges. Frauenshuh Cancer Center led an 18-month initiative to improve patient understanding of opioid use, educate clinicians on opioid costs and comparative effectiveness, and implement a nursing protocol to document personal pain goals (PPG). Frauenshuh’s pain intervention improved rates of PPG documentation, streamlined work processes, decreased out-of-pocket costs, and enhanced both patient and provider experience.
• Sanford USD Medical Center, Sanford Cancer Center— ICLIO Innovator Award Winner, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  Expanding Access to Immunotherapy in the Community Setting
  As patient and provider interest in immuno-oncology treatment options grows, only a few of these treatments are FDA-approved. To expand immunotherapy treatment access across its network of rural cancer centers, Sanford Health established a comprehensive research program that uses weekly tumor-specific video conferences and multidisciplinary molecular tumor boards to evaluate patients for clinical trial eligibility and immunotherapy treatment options.
• The Outer Banks Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital Cancer Services, Nags Head, North Carolina
  HPV Vaccination: Engaging Community Partners for Success
  With alarmingly low human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in its community, the Outer Banks Hospital Cancer Committee developed an evidence-based outreach strategy on the importance of cancer prevention and HPV vaccination. Engaging the county health department and school district leaders as strategic partners, a multi-faceted educational campaign was disseminated to primary care providers and parents of adolescents.
• University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, Kaufman Cancer Center, Bel Air, Maryland
  Building a Palliative Care Program from the Inside Out
  The Kaufman Cancer Center integrated a comprehensive strategy that included establishing weekly palliative care case conferences, developing a group of palliative care experts within the multidisciplinary oncology team, and coordinating timely proactive goals of care meetings with patients and families. Using existing resources within an outpatient comprehensive community cancer center, this palliative care model led to improved outcomes, including fewer ER visits, reduced ICU admissions and end-of-life chemotherapy, and an increase in timely referral to hospice.

For more details and videos highlighting each of these programs, go to www.accc-cancer.org/innovator.