Association of Cancer Care Centers

Telemedicine increases efficiencies, supports coordinated care, and promotes flexibility in follow-up by allowing patients to be seen at any time and from any location.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) has partnered with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in a collaborative effort to improve the participation of racial and ethnic minority populations in cancer clinical trials.

A pathogenic germline mutation rate of about 5% has been identified in women who had a family history of breast or ovarian cancer but no personal history of either disease.

Randall A. Oyer, MD, was named President for 2020 to 2021 of The Association of Community Cancer Centers during the ACCC 46th Annual Meeting Cancer Center Business Summit, according to a press release.

To help clinicians cope with an increasing number of geriatric patients with cancer, the Association of Community Cancer Centers is addressing this problem with a 2-pronged approach that focuses on the delivery of care and diagnostic assessment.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers has partnered with the AIM at Melanoma Foundation to develop resources through its Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Care education project to help provide physicians with more information to guide them in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with this type of nonmelanoma skin cancer, according to a press release from ACCC.

Ethan Basch, MD, MSc, recently received the Clinical Research Award from the Association of Community Cancer Centers during the 2019 National Oncology Conference. Basch explains the importance of receiving this award in light of his work around patient-reported outcomes for symptom monitoring in oncology.

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, discussed during the recent National Oncology Conference his goals for ACCC while serving as president, which include focusing on education, innovation, and compensation.<br /> &nbsp;

Yuma Regional Medical Center Cancer Center has implemented a genetic cancer screening and testing for their patients through collaboration with Myriad Genetics, a molecular diagnostic testing company, according to a presentation by Erica Martinez, RN, OCN, at the Association of Community Cancer Centers&rsquo; 2019 National Oncology Conference. After partnering with Myriad Genetics, the cancer center saw a 4-fold increase in genetic testing of patients with cancer in the first 4 months, which led to a change in clinical management in 20% of those cases.

Ryan Weight, DO discusses takeaways from the Immuno-Oncology Institute Working Group Summit. The summit was a part of the Association of Community Cancer Centers&rsquo; Immuno-Oncology Institute and brought together multidisciplinary working groups to strategize policy and delivery changes for the effective use of immunotherapy.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers has launched the Barriers to Quality Care in Ovarian Cancer project, a collaboration with AstraZeneca, Merck, and partners including the Association for Molecular Pathology, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. The project aims to understand the key issues associated with ovarian cancer care and provide guidance to help cancer centers implement better care for patients diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer.&nbsp;

David Spigel, MD, chief scientific officer, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, director of the Lung cancer Research Program, and member of the Association of Community Cancer Centers explains to <em>Targeted Oncology, </em>the ways in which ACCC is improving the care landscape and outcomes for patients with advanced non&ndash;small cell lung cancer.

David Spigel, MD, chief scientific officer, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discussed with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting how the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) is the change agent for helping physicians provide their patients with quality care.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, began his term as the 2019&ndash;2020 President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers on March 22, 2019, during the 45th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit. He succeeds Tom A. Gallo, MS, MDA, who served as president of ACCC for the 2018-2019 term.

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, discusses the theme for his presidency: Collaborate. Educate. Compensate: A Prescription for Sustainable Cancer Care Delivery.<br /> &nbsp;

The establishment of a high-risk cancer screening and genetic counseling service in a community setting may be an arduous undertaking but, as demonstrated in a case study presented during the Association of Community Cancer Centers 45th Annual Meeting &amp; Cancer Center Business Center Summit held in Washington, DC, it could help to reduce the chance of patients developing a hereditary cancer.

Three next-generation physician practice management companies&mdash;US Oncology Network, American Oncology Network, and OneOncology&mdash;provided an overview of their business models to distinguish themselves from competitors at a breakout session during the Association of Community Cancer Centers 45th Annual Meeting &amp; Cancer Center Business Center Summit held in Washington, DC.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers is pleased to announce the hiring of Leigh M. Boehmer, PharmD, BCOP, as Medical Director, Education, for the association&rsquo;s expanding education initiatives. In this role Dr. Boehmer will be responsible for assessing educational needs and designing educational interventions for multidisciplinary cancer care teams serving patients in the community setting.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers will honor 7 cancer centers with the 2018 ACCC Innovator Award in recognition of the inventive programs they have implemented to overcome challenges in their centers. The centers will receive the award during the ACCC 35th National Oncology Conference, to be held October 17-19 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Coordinating appointments between the physician office suite and infusion center improved dramatically with the use of a scheduling optimization tool at the Cowell Family Cancer Center in Traverse City, Michigan. Specifically, the investigators observed a 6% reduction in median office-visit time and a 43% reduction in patient wait time in the infusion chair before infusion began.