Through an application process that required submission of proposed quality improvement (QI) projects within the beta Model’s assessment areas, ACCC Cancer Program Members* were invited to apply to serve as Testing Sites for the Model. As part of the application process, programs seeking to serve as Testing Sites were required to use the beta Model for program self-assessment, and then submit quality improvement project(s) that would utilize one or more of the beta Model’s 13 assessment areas.
Seven ACCC Cancer Program Members were selected as Testing Sites.
*Note: Under the terms of the grant, programs in the following states are excluded from participation in this project: AL, GA, KY, MS, NC, TN, SC, and WV.
AdventHealth Daytona Beach (formerly known as Florida Hospital Memorial Medical) is one of six AdventHealth hospitals in Florida's Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties. These comprise facilities comprise the AdventHealth Central Florida Division - North Region. The largest hospital system in the area with 1,208 beds and more than 8,000 team members, the North Region includes facilities in Daytona Beach, DeLand, Orange City, New Smyrna Beach, Palm Coast and Tavares. Formerly known as Florida Hospital, the organization’s parent company changed the name of all wholly-owned entities to AdventHealth in January 2019. Based in Altamonte Springs, AdventHealth is a connected system of care. With more than 80,000 team members, AdventHealth is one of the nation’s largest faith-based healthcare systems with close to 50 hospitals and hundreds of care sites in nearly a dozen states.
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, is part of Advocate Health Care, the largest integrated health system in Illinois. A flagship of the health system, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital provides the north side of Chicago and its north and northwest suburbs with expert medical care and advanced healthcare technologies.
The Advocate Cancer Institute at Lutheran General Hospital is dedicated to evolving its tradition of providing comprehensive, patient-centered, high quality services to all those in need. The program takes pride in being able to offer a wide variety of services to the community. Cutting-edge technology, innovative programs, multi-disciplinary programs and research capabilities ensure that Lutheran General's patients receive the best care and treatment for their cancer. The Advocate Cancer Institute at Lutheran General Hospital is accredited by the Commission on Cancer. The Advocate Lutheran General Progenitor Cell Transplantation Program (HPCTP) is certified by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).
As part of the Munson Healthcare Regional Cancer Network, the Cowell Family Cancer Center (CFCC) in Traverse City provides care to communities in northern Michigan, including services in Cadillac, Charlevoix, Gaylord, Grayling, and Manistee. Oncology care is also provided at Mackinac Straits Health System in St. Ignace. Collaboration with the University of Michigan and Spectrum Health's Helen DeVos Children's Hospital provide additional support for cancer care in northern Michigan. Opened in 2016, the Cowell Family Cancer Center, a $45 million, 100,000-square-foot facility, brought together gynecological, medical, and radiation oncology services, specialists, the latest technologies and advanced treatments, as well as supportive services such as nutrition, social work, and genetics services, under one roof.
Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) is committed to providing quality cancer care to the region. SOMC's foundation of care is centered around five strategic values, Safety, Quality, Service, Relationships, and Performance. Through this foundation, SOMC is proud to offer an American College of Surgeons, American College of Radiology, Magnet and The Joint Commissionaccredited facility providing comprehensive cancer care services, including genetic counseling and testing; an in-house American Cancer Society Cancer Resource Center; social services; navigation services for breast and lung cancer patients; survivorship care planning; and more.
Northwest Medical Specialties, PLLC (NWMS) has been providing innovative and compassionate oncology care to the Puget Sound community for over two decades. NWMS has revolutionized the oncology patient experience from the first interaction with the NWMS team, to the last. The practice offers comprehensive cancer treatment that includes screening and treating breast cancer, skin cancer, kidney cancer, and more in both traditional and naturopathic settings. Northwest Medical Specialties also offers a wide variety of supportive services for patients, including as social work, financial counseling, case management, and patient navigation.
In 2016, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare joined Ascension to create Ascension Wisconsin—a healthcare system encompassing 23 hospitals and more than 19,000 associates, including 1,000 physicians and 110 clinics. Ascension is a national non-profit, faith-based health system, with sites of care in 20 states and the District of Columbia that include 150 hospitals. The health system's cancer programs are accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).
Working in partnership with the patient’s primary care physician, the multidisciplinary cancer care team provides personalized, comprehensive cancer care. Oncology patient navigation services help guide patients throughout their cancer journey and contribute to the ongoing development of cancer program services by identifying ways to improve patient experience and outcomes.
From October 2017 through September 2018, the Testing Sites deployed the beta Model, participated in data collection, and reported challenges and progress while executing one or more QI projects.
Hear more about the Testing Sites experience.
In November 2018, the Advisory Committee met with leaders from the Testing Sites, the ACCC project team, and members of the Technical Expert Panel to review the experiences of the seven programs in implementing the Model for quality improvement. During this meeting, the Testing Sites also offered input on potential approaches for Model dissemination. Read more from Testing Sites on the impact of using the Model for quality improvement.
In early 2019, the ACCC project team reconvened the Technical Expert Panel for a live working session to review and incorporate the findings from the Testing Sites and the output from the fall 2018 Advisory Committee meeting to finalize the Model.
Testing the model through implementing a lay navigator helped NWMS learn how to build that program and formalize our navigation services.
— Amy Ellis, Director of Quality and Value-Based Care, Northwest Medical Specialties, LLC