Dr Susan Escudier: OCM Improvements That Practices Should Continue

Even though the Oncology Care Model (OCM) ended on June 30, 2022, there are some improvements that practices should continue implementing, said Susan Escudier, MD, FACP, vice president of value-based care and quality programs, Texas Oncology.

Note: This interview took place prior to the June 30, 2022, end of the OCM.

Transcript

What do you hope or expect practices will continue to do even after the OCM ends?

I think the things, to me, that were important: I like our standardized treatment plans. I find them to be a nice teaching tool for the patient to explain their diagnosis, their prognosis. I hand it to them. I hand them a drug handout. They go home, they share it with their family. It's a nice way for them to be able to go home and study the information and think about it. Also, sometimes they forget what we tell them, so it’s helpful for that aspect.

I think the patient outreach—like calling patients after treatments—I think that should stick around. I think one of our big wins was being able to cut the turnaround time on getting patient calls answered. I think that's a big win we need to keep.

I think there are a lot of improvements that were made—our depression screenings, our distress screenings increased—and those are things we really need to keep doing going forward.