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    supportive oncology services
    Cancer screening
    Local Organizations Can Make a Big Difference in Cancer Care
    June 28, 2017
    Jackie Davenport
    Oncology nurse pride
    How Have Your Family Experiences With Cancer Impacted Your Decision to Become an Oncology Nurse?
    June 09, 2017
    Melanoma Awareness
    Melanoma
    Encourage Malignant Melanoma Awareness in May
    May 12, 2017
    Equality
    Ethics in nursing
    Are All Patients Treated Equally?
    May 05, 2017
    Double Helix
    Genetics & genomics
    The Story of Henrietta Lacks Sheds Light on Ethical Considerations in Genetic Testing
    April 28, 2017
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    Repeal and Replace
    Health Policy

    Senate Republicans Unveil Replacement Healthcare Bill; Single-Payer Healthcare System Would Have High Price Tag; FDA Commissioner Comments on 2016 Youth Tobacco Survey Results

    On June 22, 2017, Republican senators unveiled their version of the bill repeal and replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, known to most as Obamacare. The Senate bill looks similar to the House-backed healthcare bill passed in May 2017. Central to the Senate’s bill are proposed cuts to Medicaid expansion, along with eliminating a net investment income tax that impacts higher earners. The proposed bill provides more tax subsidies for lower-income individuals than its sister bill from the House of Representatives, but it’s still expected to raise costs for poorer Americans.

    June 26, 2017
    Patient communication
    Affordable Care Act (ACA)

    ACA Could Potentially Become Expanded Medicaid; Smoking More Prevalent in Low Socioeconomic Individuals; Provider, Patient Communication Still Needs Improvement

    In Washington, DC, the healthcare debate rages on. Currently, Republican senators are working behind closed doors to modify and change the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). As it stands, the AHCA is the replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known to most Americans as Obamacare. While legislators continue to debate in Washington, the insurance marketplace carries on. United Healthcare recently announced its departure from the ACA’s marketplace exchange, another in list of insurance companies that have chosen to leave.

    June 20, 2017
    CancerLinQ
    Clinical practice

    How ONS and Oncology Nursing Are Helping to Define Big Data and Cancer Care

    For oncology nurses, physicians, and care professionals, the importance of implementing tools to collect and analyze big data cannot be understated. Through collaboration and multidisciplinary tactics, data can help drive improvements in the way patients are treated.

    June 15, 2017
    Capitol Hill Roundup
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)

    UNC’s Norman Sharpless Named NCI Director; Senators Back to Work on Healthcare Bill; National Institutes of Health Director to Remain

    On June 12, 2017, President Trump named Norman Sharpless, MD, as director of National Cancer Institute (NCI). Sharpless, formerly the director of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina, is a practicing oncologist and cancer researcher. He will take over as for Doug Lowry, MD, who has been the NCI’s acting director since 2015.

    June 12, 2017
    Breast Cancer Screening
    Health Policy

    ONS Lobbies for Breast Cancer Screening Act in Congress

    Alongside congressional representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Susan Brooks, ONS and other organizations are lobbying for support of the Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings (PALS) Act. This legislation would push insurance companies—along with the Veterans Health Administration—to provide access and coverage to breast cancer screenings for women aged 40–49.

    June 08, 2017
    Pam Ginex
    Immunotherapy

    Cultivate Your Immunotherapy Education With ONS Resources

    Cancer centers across the country, especially those in larger medical centers, are seeing many immunotherapy agents in standard care now. Patients are hearing about advancements in immunotherapies, they’re excited by the possibilities, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is approving new drugs or indications almost every month. Although many patients still don’t recognize the distinction between standard treatment options and immunotherapy, it’s vital for nurses to stay educated and understand how these treatments work differently from traditional care options.

    June 06, 2017
    Medication Pricing
    U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

    FDA Commissioner Aims to Address Drug Pricing Issues; House Republicans Propose 12-Bill Appropriations Omnibus; Adults Don’t Recognize Harm of Vaping Around Kids

    Since the campaign trail prior to the presidential election, Donald Trump has been drawing focus to the issue of high drug prices in the United States. In an effort combat the pricing issues, Trump appointed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, who recently announced the creation of the “drug competition action plan.” The plan would reduce the high cost of drugs in U.S. healthcare market by increasing the efficiency of approving generic medications of name-brand drugs.

    June 05, 2017
    immunotherapy for cancer treatment
    Immunotherapy

    How the Evolution of Immunotherapy Will Impact Oncology Nurses

    Immunotherapy is one of the fastest-evolving areas of oncology to date. Previously, it could take years for some cancers to see new treatment options; today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is approving new immuno-oncology agents or new indications for those agents every few weeks. It’s a boon and a challenge to medical professionals. On the one hand, potentially life-changing treatments are making way to patients who need them—patients who have exhausted first-line treatments and now have limited options. On the other hand, healthcare professionals may struggle to stay current with the emerging trends, cutting-edge science, and evolving treatment plans for their patients.

    June 01, 2017
    Nursing Workforce Shortage
    Health Policy

    Nursing Workforce Faces Looming Shortage; Budget Proposal Cuts $636 Billion From HHS Agencies; CBO Issues Evaluation on AHCA

    With an increasing number of baby boomers—both leaving the nursing profession and finding themselves in need of care—a workforce shortage is continuing to challenge the nursing industry. Recent reports have also indicated that educators in nursing programs have dropped off, leading to fewer nursing graduates. Some educational institutions are seeking accelerated programs to meet the demands of the growing healthcare market.

    May 31, 2017
    Capitol Roundup
    Health Policy

    Senate Obamacare Working Group Expands; Gottlieb, MD, Named FDA Commissioner; Bipartisan Commitment to Healthcare Delivery System Reform

    As legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act works its way into the Senate, a new working group is attempting tackle the issue through tax breaks that would potentially ease healthcare costs. However, when the working group was formed, some Republican Senators were left out of the discussion—namely women senators in the GOP. After receiving flack for the decision, the working group officially opened its doors to anyone in the Republican convention.

    May 22, 2017
    Telehealth
    Clinical practice guidelines

    Joint Commission Offers Telehealth Revisions to Hospital, Ambulatory Accreditation Standards

    As healthcare institutions are looking to adopt new technologies to better assist patients, telehealth is becoming a prominent resource for many practitioners. By providing the ability to call or video conference with healthcare providers, institutions can offer patients the care they need from the comfort of their own homes.

    May 19, 2017
    Caring for Multiple Patients
    Clinical practice

    The Challenge of Caring for Multiple Patients With Cancer

    As more new treatments enter practice—like immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and combination therapies—oncology nurses are required to be experts in every treatment they administer. They need to constantly walk a tightrope, balancing multiple medications for one patient then quickly moving to the next patient on a completely different treatment protocol.

    May 17, 2017
    Capitol Roundup
    Health Policy

    NIH Gets $2 Billion in Additional Funding; Senators Await CBO Score on AHCA; AHRQ Director Touts Importance of Nursing

    In March 2017, President Trump issued what was called his “skinny budget.” The name refers to the short length of his proposed budget document, as well as the draconian cuts it brought to almost every federal agency.

    May 15, 2017
    Online Tools to Create Survivorship Care Plans
    Survivorship care plans

    How Do You Use Free Online Tools to Create Survivorship Care Plans?

    Journey Forward, a free online survivorship tool, allows oncology professionals to create personalized treatment plans, treatment summaries, and care plans that can be printed out and shared with patients and their primary care providers.

    May 02, 2017
    Capitol Roundup
    Health Policy

    Nurse Becomes Acting Surgeon General; Representative Roybal-Allard Calls for Funding Scientific Research; Gottlieb Nomination for FDA Commissioner Sent to Senate

    After former President Obama’s surgeon general was asked to resign by the Trump administration, the White House appointed Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN, as acting surgeon general.

    May 01, 2017
    Darcy Burbage
    Coordinated care

    Creating and Sustaining Survivorship Care Plans in Practice

    With more than 15.5 million Americans living beyond cancer, it’s no surprise that more attention is being paid to survivorship than ever before. Once treatment ends, patients can be thrown back into a world after cancer with little or no attention paid to their concerns about recurrence, late effects from treatment, how to follow up with their future care, and a great many more unknowns.

    May 01, 2017
    Fraudulent Cancer Treatments
    U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

    FDA Issues Warnings to Fraudulent Cancer Treatment Companies

    On April 25, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to 14 companies that were selling fraudulently marketed products claiming to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure cancer. In total, the companies produced more than 65 products that have been sold in the United States without FDA approval.

    April 26, 2017
    Capitol Hill Roundup
    Affordable Care Act (ACA)

    GOP to Potentially Revisit Healthcare Legislation; New State Funding Will Combat Opioid Epidemic; FDA Reaches Reauthorization Fee Deal for New Drugs, Devices

    As the first 100 days of the Trump administration ends, the White House is still pressing Congress to revisit healthcare legislation—one of Trump’s main campaign promises.

    April 24, 2017
    Capitol Hill Roundup
    Nurse empowerment

    PA Legislation Aims to Expand Role of Nurse Practitioners; Bipartisan Support Needed to Tackle the Nation’s Opioid Epidemic; New Poll Reveals Bipartisan Interest in Single-Payer Health Care

    New legislation proposing to allow nurse practitioners the ability to practice to the full extent of their licensure is making its way through the Pennsylvania House and Senate. The bill was introduced to help ease the burden on healthcare professionals by loosening restrictions on the supervision over nurse practitioners.

    April 17, 2017
    Prostate Screening
    Prostate cancer

    Revised USPSTF Draft Guidelines Recommend Individual Prostate Cancer Screening Decisions

    The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued new draft revisions for prostate cancer screening guidelines. In the draft, the USPSTF has changed its previous stance on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening tests for men aged 55–69. The drafted guidelines now recommend PSA screening tests for men aged 55–69 based on individual assessment. The USPSTF has upgraded its recommendation from D to C, encouraging physicians to discuss with their patients whether PSA testing is right for them. The USPSTF still recommends against PSA screening tests in patients aged 70 or older.

    April 13, 2017
    Text Messaging
    Safety

    Secured Text Messaging Orders Declared Unacceptable by the Joint Commission

    Using secure text messaging for patient care orders is unacceptable, the Joint Commission concluded in January 2017.

    April 13, 2017
    Capitol Roundup
    Cancer moonshot

    Cancer Death Rates Continue to Fall; Biden Continues Work on Cancer Moonshot; GOP Looks to Revise Replacement Healthcare Plan; ONS Submits Letter of Support for New ICD-10 CM Code

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2014. According to the report, cancer death rates fell for 11 of the 16 most common cancers in men and 13 of the 16 most common cancers in women. Death rates fell for female breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancers, among others. The report also notes that incidences of cancer decreased in men but plateaued for women in the same time period.

    April 10, 2017
    Heather Mackey
    Standards

    What Is ONS’s Process for Creating Oncology Nursing Competencies?

    The ONS Oncology Nurse Generalist competencies define the fundamental knowledge, skills, and abilities that nurses new to oncology practice should develop or acquire within the first one to two years of oncology practice. The target audience includes both beginning nurses new to practice as well as seasoned nurses who enter the oncology specialty after working in another area.

    April 04, 2017
    Nursing Competencies
    Safety

    Competencies Create Expert, Accountable Nurses Delivering Quality Care

    When the National Academy of Medicine, formerly the Institute of Medicine, released its 2010 report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, it cited a need for improvement in nursing education and practice through the implementation of nursing competencies.

    April 03, 2017
    Capitol Hill Roundup
    Health Policy

    Executive Order to Fight Opioid Epidemic; Trump Administration Proposes Cuts to Spending in 2017 and 2018; White House Supports April as Cancer Control Month

    President Trump is a preparing a new executive order that would outline recommendations for the nation’s fight against opioid addiction. According to report released in STAT, the executive order would form a commission of four top Trump aides, including Attorney General Jeffery Sessions, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, and Defense Secretary James Mattis. The commission would be led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and would be fleshed out with another five other yet-to-be-named officials from the state government level, law enforcement, and other areas potentially impacted by the national crisis.

    April 03, 2017
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    Chris Pirschel ONS Staff Writer
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