CANCER BUZZ

ACCC 48th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit Livestrong Cancer Institute at the University of Texas at Austin

ACCC 48th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit ACCC position on the Cancer Moonshot Relaunch ACCCBuzz Blog: Cancer Moonshot Reignites

ACCC 48th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit   AccessHope™️

In January 2022, ACCC launched a digital version of its Patient Assistance & Reimbursement Guide, which allows oncology staff to quickly search for manufacturer-based financial assistance programs for specific medications as well as reimbursement resources to support coding and billing. Hear directly from a pharmacist and an oncology operations manager who were involved in the design and implement...

Precision medicine is increasingly critical to selecting the right treatment for patients with cancer, but pathology reporting can be lengthy, complex, and confusing—especially in this fast-paced molecular era. According to Dr. Timothy C. Allen, one key to moving precision medicine forward lies in simplifying and standardizing pathology reports so patients can be better informed, understand their...

Cellular immunotherapy researchers have long been focused on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). These naturally occurring anti-cancer cells fight—from inside the tumor—against malignant cells. TIL Cell Therapy is currently being evaluated in clinical trials and encouraging study results have been presented and published. In this episode, hear from two experts in cancer immunotherapy on the exc...

Oncology social workers are integral members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team, but their services are largely unreimbursed by payers, so cancer programs and practices must fund these positions from their bottom line. This, in turn, makes it challenging to hire additional oncology social work staff. Hear about two new resources coming from ACCC to help demonstrate the value that oncology s...

Biomarker testing is an important part of precision medicine; however, many commercial health plans and state Medicaid programs lack adequate coverage, which can have life-threatening consequences for patients with cancer who could benefit from biomarker testing.  Some good news: health insurance coverage advocates have seen "wins" in three states in 2021: California, Illinois, and Louisiana. In t...

Advances in the application of precision oncology have resulted in an increased demand for genetic counseling services. While the genetic counselor workforce is on the rise, disparities in access are widespread. Certain barriers to genetic counseling—from geography to business challenges— are impacting who can access, and benefit from, genetic counseling services.  In this episode, Dr. Colleen Cam...

In this special podcast episode, we talk with oncology social worker and ACCC President Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, about finding opportunities to practice gratitude each day for colleagues and patients.  Hear how taking the time to pause and connect during your workday can support your psychological health by reconnecting to the passion behind your job, helping you provide care with i...

To support the optimization of care for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), six ACCC Cancer Program Members applied to participate in a process improvement initiative. Hear from Wendi Waugh, Director of Cancer Services, Southern Ohio Medical Center, as she walks us through the design and implementation of their plan, which focused on the need to better understand the causes...

A New Deal for Cancer: Lessons from a 50 Year War , was published on November 16, 2021 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the landmark National Cancer Act. Dr. Randall A. Oyer, ACCC Immediate Past President and co-author of Chapter Two, A View from the Ground: The Changing Landscape of Cancer, addresses the complexity and lack of coordination and cooperation among four major care delivery...

While the identification of actionable biomarkers is fueling huge advancements in precision medicine and targeted therapies for the management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), access to these tests and associated therapies are not consistent throughout the healthcare system and have the potential to worsen existing health disparities. Hear from two authors of an ACCC/LUNGevity Foundation stu...

Caring for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) depends on many factors and can vary as much as the patients themselves. As such, shared decision-making—those collaborative conversations between patient and physician that guide the treatment trajectory—are critical to align goals and help determine what's best for each patient. Due to the challenges COVID-19 presents for immune-compromised i...

On this episode, we'll hear what genetic counselors wish providers would say to their patients. We'll uncover a few common barriers to genetic counseling and testing for patients with cancer and—from the genetic counselor's perspective—how providers can help improve the uptake of testing delivered via telehealth to educate, inform, and improve patient care. Genetic counselors—as members of the can...

One serious, unwanted side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is the potential for "substantial" consequences for cancer outcomes due to delayed access to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Hear from the author of a study that detected a substantial decrease (among American seniors) in cancer screenings, visits, therapy, and surgeries. The study concluded that—if left unaddressed—these decreases and del...

At Stanford Health Care, an experienced licensed clinical social worker with oncology certification has developed a full-time behavioral health role within the organization's large radiation oncology department, including leading the self-care segment for the department's internal podcast.   By creating this staff podcast, Stanford Health Care's Radiation Oncology Department came up with a way to...

Financial advocacy is a complex field of work that requires advocates keep up with the evolving healthcare landscape of payer policies, cancer treatment options, available financial assistance, and more. To support new—and experienced—staff who preform financial advocacy services, the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network created the "Ready, Set, Go! Financial Advocacy Playbook." In this episode, we dis...

In this special podcast episode, we talk with oncology social worker and ACCC President Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, about the overwhelming grief of the pandemic and its toll on cancer care professionals. She reflects on how healthcare professionals are coping with fear and processing grief, and the signs of grief that people should look for in themselves. Krista shares the importance o...

During the summer months of 2021, community transmission rates of COVID-19 have again surged across the U.S. People with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other blood cancers, who are immunocompromised, face added risk from COVID-19 and need more information on vaccine and booster shot efficacy. In this episode, Gwen Nichols, MD, Chief Medical Officer, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), e...

While most cancer programs in the United States report that they employ advanced practitioners (APs), they are often not utilized to the full scope of their abilities in clinical research. In this episode, Beth Faiman, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCN, FAAN, shares the evolution of the advanced practitioner role at her institution, where APs have a larger voice in the research process and clinical trial pr...

A physician and administrator champion at Cone Health Cancer Center talk about why it's more important than ever to make transportation assistance available to patients with cancer and how these services help improve health outcomes and the patient experience. Hear how an awareness of social determinants of health can improve health equity and reduce disparities, and how to make the business case...

As pandemic restrictions begin to loosen in many communities across the country, patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) face greater uncertainty in this "new normal" due to their increased risk for contracting COVID-19 and a lower response rate to the vaccine.   On this episode, three clinicians discuss their experiences with difficult conversations on the relative risks and benefits aro...

On this CANCER BUZZ podcast, we focus on the mental and emotional toll the pandemic continues to have on cancer care professionals who acknowledge that we're not on the other side of the pandemic—while much of the public experiences a "summer of joy" due to rising vaccination rates. This week's guest is Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, oncology social worker and ACCC President. She explains...

In this episode, we'll explore how oncology advanced practitioners (APs) can play a greater role in clinical research and, according to a recent national study, have a strong interest in doing so. Hear how APs can leverage their deep role in the day-to-day cancer care decisions to improve diversity in clinical trials by bringing their experience to trial design and the accrual process. Guest: Chri...