National Agencies Recognize Oncology Nursing’s Role in Coordinated Patient Care
Health Policy

National Agencies Recognize Oncology Nursing’s Role in Coordinated Patient Care

We live in the greatest age of scientific discovery and medical breakthroughs. Advances in the innovation and understanding of diseases are providing more insight into how we treat, and often cure, people with life-threatening illnesses. What was once deemed a death sentence diagnosis is now described as a chronic disorder, that can be handled with the help of the patient and a team of healthcare providers.

March 15, 2018
American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

Individualized Care Plans Decrease Emergency Department Use

Unplanned hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits are an ongoing problem for patients with cancer. At the Taussig Cancer Institute, just 6% of all discharged patients accounted for more than 40% of unplanned readmissions (defined as a hospitalization occurring within 30 days of discharge). Those patients are also at high risk for future admissions, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, ED visits, overuse of chemotherapy, and underuse of hospice resources. Researchers developed an individualized care plan (ICP) for patients with the highest preventable use to see if this would impact hospital use and readmissions. Girish Kunapareddy, MD, at the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting.

December 09, 2017
Access to cancer care

Improving Access to Care Is a Priority to the Cancer Moonshot

In 1965, the monthly cost of cancer care was $100. By 2013, that number had risen to nearly $10,000. The skyrocketing cost of cancer drugs has, in part, played a major role in limiting access to care for patients with cancer. But money isn’t the only barrier: Location of treatment centers, lack of transportation, socioeconomic challenges, along with myriad cultural differences can play into the ways patients do—or don’t—access care.
August 23, 2016
Access to cancer care

Oncology Nurses Have Important Roles in Clinical Trial Access and Enrollment

When President Obama announced the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative during his State of the Union address in January 2016, he set lofty goals for oncology professionals. One of those goals called for increased access to and participation in clinical trials. Clinical trial data are integral in getting cutting-edge treatments to market, where they can help improve cancer care. However, many patients aren’t fully educated about the efficacy of these new forms of treatment and what these trials entail.
May 27, 2016