Program helps care teams deliver high quality, patient-centered care
October 24, 2023
ASCO’s new flagship quality program, ASCO Certified™, will officially launch October 27, 2023, during ASCO’s Quality Care Symposium in Boston.
The program certifies oncology group practices and health systems that meet a single set of comprehensive, evidence-based oncology medical home (OMH) standards from ASCO and the Community Oncology Alliance (COA). These standards focus on seven different domains of cancer care: patient engagement; availability and access to care; evidence-based medicine; equitable and comprehensive team-based care; quality improvement; goals of care, palliative, and end-of-life care discussions; and chemotherapy safety.
The goal is to transform cancer care by centering on each patient’s unique needs, increasing care coordination, and delivering evidence-based care.
“We believe the ASCO Certified program will support practices as they strive to deliver optimal care in the face of an evolving and challenging environment,” said ASCO CEO Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO. “This program focuses on the most important stakeholders— the patients. It provides them a medical home and it empowers practices to embrace value-based care while enhancing quality.”
The program was informed from a pilot of 12 practice groups and health systems across 95 service sites and 500 oncologists. The cohort comprised a variety of settings, including community, hospital, academic and rural. The pilot participants were: Blue Ridge Cancer Care, Roanoke, Va.; Cancer & Hematology Centers of Western Michigan, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Central Georgia Cancer Care, Macon, Ga.; Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY, East Syracuse, N.Y.; Memorial Cancer Institute, Hollywood, Fla.; Nebraska Hematology-Oncology, PC, Lincoln, Neb.; Maine Center for Cancer Medicine & Blood Disorders, DBA New England Cancer Specialists, Scarborough, Maine; Jefferson Health – Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Penn.; Tennessee Oncology, a partner of OneOncology, Nashville, Tenn.; The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, a partner of OneOncology, Fort Worth, Texas; University of Colorado Cancer Center (Anschutz Medical Campus and Cherry Creek Medical Center), Aurora, Colo.; and Yale New Haven Health (Smilow Cancer Hospital at Guilford and The Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center), New Haven, Conn.
“When the entire cancer care team uses comprehensive care standards that are focused on quality and value, a model emerges that puts patients at the center,” said Judy Alberto, MHA, RPh, BCOP, Director of Clinical Initiatives at the Community Oncology Alliance. “We are proud to collaborate on the certification program, because when practices use a team-based approach to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care, outcomes of the cancer care delivery system are improved.”
All the pilot participants agreed they benefitted from having a blueprint for delivering high quality cancer care and:
- 90% said they experienced new, more efficient ways to provide care.
- Noted improved coordination meant less waste, more time with patients and more fulfilling work.
- Practices routinely found hidden opportunities to improve care for patients and the function of their business.
- 90% of practices shared that they made tangible improvements in equitable care for patients.
“We’re confident that this new model for patient-centered cancer care delivery is achievable for all oncology practices, regardless of their practice setting,” Dr. Hudis said. “By doing the work to meet these standards, ASCO Certified practices will be better-equipped to deliver high-quality, equitable, evidence-based care for every single patient.”
To become ASCO Certified, oncology practices must demonstrate compliance with the OMH standards, including undergoing an onsite survey every three years as well as following ongoing measurement and continuous quality improvement standards.
ASCO Certified is now open and accepting applications. Visit ASCO Certifed for resources, including the standards manual, participation guide, and certification application portal guide.
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