ACCCBUZZ BLOG

During a recent virtual briefing by Modern Healthcare, one session explored the current trends and models of excellence in at-home care. ACCCBuzz highlights panelists' insights on the common characteristics and challenges of successful hospital-at-home programs.

In recognizing Cancer Immunotherapy Month and National Cancer Survivors Day (June 5), ACCC is highlighting the resources it has created to assist the multidisciplinary team in creating and adapting survivorship care plans to meet these patients’ unique needs and support toxicity management for better outcomes.

ACCC Board Member Wendi Waugh tells ACCCBuzz about her experience speaking at and attending the in-person Oncology Reimbursement Meetings this spring, covering topics from financial advocacy in oncology to formulary management and networking with colleagues to address workforce concerns at your cancer center.

In recognition of Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, ACCC would like to stress the importance of reducing existing disparities in bladder cancer care.

ACCC is supporting the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, which would require Medicare Advantage plans to standardize and streamline prior authorization processes and increase the transparency of their requirements to prevent unnecessary denials and delays in patient care.

ACCC recently partnered with Hallmark Health Care Solutions to host a live broadcast, where expert panelists discussed barriers and effective practices to ensure the recruitment and retainment of a quality workforce.

The final post in a three-blog series, ACCCBuzz spoke to Megan Morava, PA-C, and Alexandra Greenawalt who share how one independent oncology practice and local community center are taking action to improve equitable cancer care delivery at the local level.

Testing for measurable residual disease can shape treatment choices and patient management to achieve better outcomes, and the need persists for members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team to better understand the purpose, use, and significance of this testing in all cancer treatment settings.

Technology has a key role to play in the future of cancer care delivery. Read how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to help cancer programs and practices stay financially viable, while offering high-quality care.

The second post in a three-blog series, ACCCBuzz shares how Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates' NOLA initiative is addressing access to care, clinical trials, biomarker testing, and more.

This blog is the first in a two-part series on value-based care transformation, focusing on new site of care settings like patients' homes.

Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associate's No One Left Alone (or NOLA) initiative is a multi-phase pilot program aimed at lessening disparities in cancer care in three key areas: care access, biomarker testing, and clinical trials.

ACCC—which has made mitigating disparities in cancer care a core component of its mission—recognizes the importance of National Minority Health Month and National Minority Cancer Awareness Week this April.

This is the first post in an ACCCBuzz series on effective leadership practices in cancer care, written by Dr. Barbara Schmidtman.

The US has seen a steady decline in the overall incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) during the past several decades. In 1975, 60 people per 100,000 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer; by 2018, that number had fallen to 34. But overall trends in CRC incidence and outcomes often differ among racial groups and geographic locations. Black Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with CRC than White Americans and more likely to die from it. CRC mortality rates in American Indian and Alaska Native populations have stubbornly stayed put.

Jeanie Troy, a financial navigator at Lake Region Healthcare in the Cancer Care and Research Center, discusses how to help uninsured patients access their anti-cancer treatment if they are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.

March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. Learn how ACCC is supporting collaboration among healthcare providers with practical, scalable solutions to the real-world challenges of improving quality care delivery for patients with multiple myeloma.

After convening its members, sponsors, and industry partners in Washington, DC, for the first time since the dawn of COVID-19, ACCC Buzz shares a glimpse of the activities and insights the final day at ACCC’s 48th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit.

This week, Congress passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package for fiscal year 2022 with broad bipartisan support. Included in the domestic appropriations are several key healthcare provisions of interest to ACCC and the cancer care community.

ACCC convened its members, sponsors, and industry partners in person (for the first time since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic) and online for the 48th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit in Washington, D.C., enabling more people to participate in ways in which they were most comfortable.

In response to the ever-changing landscape of healthcare and financial advocacy, the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network is collaborating this year with its partners to update ACCC’s Financial Advocacy Services Guidelines.

Each year, February 1 marks the start of Black History Month, for which a specific theme is chosen. The theme for 2022—health and wellness in the Black community—mirrors ACCC’s mission of reducing health disparities in cancer care and outcomes.

Read how the Cancer Moonshot aims to improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer by increasing cancer screenings, increasing access to clinical trials, and investing in new treatments, among other initiatives.

As in other areas of the country, COVID-19 surges during the past two years have led to the cancellation, postponement, or downsizing of planned community outreach and screening events at Munson Healthcare in Michigan. Oncologists at Munson think it’s likely that northern Michigan will see an increase in late-stage cancer cases as a result.

To address the steadily increasing rates of cancer incidence and death worldwide, World Cancer Day (celebrated February 4) has taken on a multi-year campaign to “close the care gap” and bring awareness to the large treatment and outcome disparities that exist in cancer care.

In January 2022, ACCC co-sponsored Health Care Value Week, a series of virtual events with top Administration officials from CMS to support the advancement of value-based care. By highlighting the success stories of value-based payment models and addressing the need to further eliminate barriers to care for marginalized groups, the event discussed next steps in providing more equitable, accessible, and affordable care in the United States.

Cancer screenings may have decreased since the pandemic, but the need for them hasn't. “You can continue to do the work you’re doing; we just need to be mindful, says Nora Katurakes, RN, MSN, OCN. We can’t just stop living. … We’re going to have to learn how to live with COVID-19 in our community.”

Relational work does not require a doctor’s orders, but without it there is no humanity in the delivery of patient care. Nurses who do not have time to deliver relational care can become unfulfilled, disappointed with their work, and burned out—the altruism for which many of them entered the profession gone.

The new year brings with it new goals and plans for ACCC’s Financial Advocacy Network. But before talking about the innovations to come in 2022, let’s look back at the accomplishments of 2021.

In 2020, medical experts warned that COVID-19 could, over time, have a substantial impact on cancer outcomes due to delayed or missed cancer screenings for patients. To obtain a better perspective of how cancer programs’ screening and outreach education efforts are recovering from pandemic pressures, ACCCBuzz spoke to four cancer programs across the country.