Association of Cancer Care Centers | Strategic Alliance Partnership

Coverage from the Association of Cancer Care Centers’ 50th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit.

Margaret Liang, MD, MSHPM, gynecologic oncologist and health services researcher and director, Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program, Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center, discusses financial toxicity in cancer care and how institutions can help alleviate the financial burden for patients.

This year’s top content from the fall meeting of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) highlights both treatment gains made through innovative referral, screening, and assistance initiatives and the ongoing need to improve health equity and research inclusivity.

Afreen Shariff, MD, MBBS, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the challenges and benefits of electronic consults (e-consults) for patients with cancer currently undergoing treatment who have a comorbidity history or who develop an endocrine system disorder because of treatment.

Through the integration of a population health reimbursement model in 2020, Allina Health Cancer Institute was able to implement expanded screening initiatives through the use of artificial intelligence and precision medicine, according to Mike Koroscik, MBA, MHA, vice president of oncology, Allina Health.

This group of cancers remains a challenge to diagnose, can be rapidly progressive, and requires complex treatment and follow-up care, research suggests.

A 2022 yearlong initiative at Summa Health Cancer Institute saw 100% of its patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiation treatment referred to an oncology dietician for nutritional support and/or speech and swallow therapy.

According to the National Cancer Institute, in the year following a cancer diagnosis, the average cost of medical care plus medication exceeds $42,000, with some treatments having a price tag of more than $1 million.

Pinky, a mobile mammography unit from Stony Brook University Hospital Cancer Center on Long Island, increased screening for breast cancer from 9% to 69% among the predominantly Latina population that it serves.

Mike Koroscik, MBA, MHA, vice president of oncology, Allina Health and the Allina Health Cancer Institute, discusses the successes and challenges of a population health reimbursement model and gives advice for other health organizations considering a similar partnership within their practices.

Afreen Idris Shariff, MD, MBBS, director at Duke Endo-Oncology Program, Duke Endocrinology, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses how e-consults are addressing specific endocrine immune-related adverse events from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), reducing time to appointment, and lowering the need for hospitalization.

The interrelated concepts of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, moral distress, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction have been identified as having a profound impact on the quality of life of health care providers.

A presentation at the Association of Community Cancer Centers’ 40th National Oncology Conference explored how a cancer screening initiative can be sustainable and revenue positive while driving value-based savings in an evolving market.

Margaret Liang, MD, MSHPM, gynecologic oncologist and program director for the gynecologic oncology fellowship program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center, discusses the Association of Community Cancer Centers' Financial Advocacy Services guidelines, which focus on providing financial support to patients with cancer.

Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, speaks on the unique perspectives and challenges smaller health care practices may face when entering into alternative payment models and shares key insights for addressing these issues.

A poster presented at the 40th National Oncology Conference addressed several hot topics in the oncology treatment and research space: addressing medical mistrust in underresourced communities, partnering with trusted organizations to improve health equity, and increasing inclusivity in research.

The newest "Trending Now in Cancer Care Report" from the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) focuses on overcoming challenges in such areas as patient engagement, workforce recruitment and retention, artificial intelligence clinical decision support tools, and research and clinical trials.

Olalekan Ajayi, PharmD, MBA, 2023-2024 president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) and chief operating officer of Highlands Oncology Group, PA, reflects upon his role at ACCC and highlights key topics in oncology care and cancer research that will be presented at the National Oncology Conference.

This year’s 40th National Oncology Conference from the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) will take place in Austin, Texas, from October 4-6, with content designed to reflect the theme of “Reimagining Innovation.”

Specialty pharmacy is a big area of growth, with opportunity for patients, and specialty pharmacists can help payers and insurers ensure that patients get the full value of oncology medications, noted Andre Harvin, PharmD, MS, MBA, chief pharmacy officer, Oncology Services, Cone Health Cancer Centers.

Curing cancer is something we all want to do, but logistical issues remain around translating that into practice, explained Sigrun Hallmeyer, MD, medical oncologist with Advocate Health.

Olalekan Ajayi, PharmD, MBA, 2023-2024 president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, discusses what practices should do to succeed under the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM).

David R. Penberthy, MD, MBA, 2022-2023 Association of Community Cancer Centers president, addresses technological advancements made during his presidency and how community oncology is working to ensure gains in health equity continue moving forward.

In this interview from the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 2023 Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit, Olalekan Ajayi, PharmD, MBA, ACCC president, addresses the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care equity and why data integrity is just as important as the models used with the data.

Biosimilars may not be perfect, but they are, at the very minimum, helping to make cancer therapies a little bit more accessible, said Andre D. Harvin, PharmD, MS, executive director of pharmacy, oncology, Cone Health.

Jeff Hunnicutt, CEO of Highlands Oncology Group, explains the 2 risk options provided under the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) and why the mandatory downside risk might give pause to practices that saw some success in the Oncology Care Model.

As scientists are identifying molecular alterations in patients with later-stage cancers that may be targets in earlier-stage disease, next-generation sequencing is being utilized more in the first-line setting, noted Sigrun Hallmeyer, MD, medical oncologist with Advocate Health.

Kevin Davies, PhD, executive editor, The CRISPR Journal and GEN Biotechnology, discusses how CRISPR has evolved from the initial discovery of the double helix to now, with the technology holding great promise for both genetic diseases and cancers.

A session at the ACCC 2023 Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit addressed the promise and potential drawbacks of multicancer early detection (MCED) testing for patients in the primary care setting.

Andre Harvin, PharmD, MS, MBA, Cone Health Cancer Center, discusses the vital role of pharmacists in oncology: how they use data to streamline patient visits, work to facilitate patient access to biosimilars, and advocate for their patients.