Association of Community Cancer Centers Announces October Virtual Learning Series for Pharmacists

October Friday Webinars Offer Peer-to-Peer Discussion on Current Solutions to Challenges Facing the Oncology Pharmacy

Rockville, MD - The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), through its Oncology Pharmacy Education Network, is marking American Pharmacists Month with the launch of a pharmacy virtual learning series that will take place Fridays during the month of October. 

Attendees will have the opportunity for live, peer-to-peer discussion on solutions to current challenges facing the oncology pharmacy, have questions answered by experts in the field, and learn about the expanding role of pharmacy in cancer care. 

“Pharmacy education is critically important, as oncology-pharmacy has an ever-increasing role in patient care due to exciting advancements in cancer treatments, precision medicine, shared patient conversations, financial challenges, and many other factors,” said Olalekan Ajayi, PharmD, MBA, Director of Practice Transformation, Sheridan Memorial Hospital, Sheridan, Wyoming, who is ACCC Secretary and a member of the Oncology Pharmacy Education Network Advisory Board. “ACCC is truly focused on educating, informing and engaging the multidisciplinary team on pharmacy issues to help each member deliver the very best in oncology care, not just during October, but every day.  The OPEN Webinar series provides the best and most relevant practices in oncology pharmacy in a mobile, usable, and fresh user experience. OPEN provides a platform for pharmacists to connect and share cutting-edge ideas on how to move the pharmacy profession forward in these uncertain times.”

The sessions and topic areas will be as follows:

October 9; Noon - 12:45pm EDT
Pharmacy Metrics for Off-Label Treatment

Anti-cancer treatment plans inclusive of an off-label agent(s) are often more costly for patients and cancer programs. The need for time-intensive prior authorizations, peer-to-peer review, and potential delay in time to treatment initiation are just a few of the challenges cancer care team members face. This session will explore patient and staff impact, effects on program revenue integrity, and suggested metrics to track off-label use.

October 16; Noon - 12:45pm EDT
Pharmacists and Older Adults with Cancer: Effective Practices

The number of elderly patients with cancer will considerably increase in the coming years. Developing models of care that support older patients is critical in managing chemotherapy treatments and improving outcomes and overall quality of care. Pharmacists play a key role in this equation as they can collaboratively monitor and manage side effects, empirically suggest appropriate dose adjustment(s), and help manage inappropriate polypharmacy.

October 23; Noon - 12:45pm EDT
Billing for Chemotherapy Patient Management: Extending and Elevating the Pharmacist Role

Numerous factors in modern cancer care and treatments lead to an ever-expanding role for pharmacists as members of the cancer care delivery team. Leveraging the pharmacist in cancer care has shown improved outcomes as well as decreased medication errors; however, billing for services is often a challenge. Models for pharmacist billing for services such as telehealth medication-related visits, medication therapy care management, and discharge management in the cancer setting can demonstrate additional value of pharmacy services and extend existing care models.

October 30; Noon - 12:45pm EDT
Closing the Oncology Research Gap: Pharmacy’s Role Defined

This session will include successful models for pharmacist integration into oncology research teams, discussion of the unique skills that pharmacists offer the interdisciplinary team, and resources to identify opportunities to enhance accrual of adult oncology patients to clinical trials.

Interested participants may register through ACCC’s website, at accc-cancer.org/home/learn/oncology-pharmacy.

The ACCC Oncology Pharmacy Education Network (OPEN) was established in 2004 to bring together education, resources, and peer-to-peer networking to help pharmacy professionals navigate the accelerating course of change in oncology—clinically, operationally, fiscally, and programmatically.