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    Experience the Power of Patient-Centered Research Through PCORI
    Health Policy
    Experience the Power of Patient-Centered Research Through PCORI
    February 07, 2019
    Building Collaboration, Education With Oncology Nurses in Malawi
    Oncology nursing community
    Building Collaboration, Education With Oncology Nurses in Malawi
    January 30, 2019
    Reality-Based Leadership Helps Nurses Cut the Drama So They Can Problem Solve
    Nurse self-care
    Reality-Based Leadership Helps Nurses Cut the Drama So They Can Problem Solve
    December 18, 2018
    ONS Members Share Education, Resources in Peru
    Oncology nursing community
    ONS Members Share Education, Resources in Peru
    November 16, 2018
    This Week, Recognize and Thank Your Oncology Nurse Practitioner Colleagues
    Advanced practice nursing (APN)
    This Week, Recognize and Thank Your Oncology Nurse Practitioner Colleagues
    November 12, 2018
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    Patient advocacy

    President Trump Signs Opioids Legislation Into Law
    Health Policy

    President Trump Signs Opioids Legislation Into Law

    Developed to combat the nation’s opioid crisis, a comprehensive opioid addiction bill has finally made its way to the president’s desk. On October 25, 2018, President Trump signed the opioid package into law. The new law allots more than $8 billion to address addiction, drug trafficking, and recovery issues. 

    November 01, 2018
    An Oncology Nurse’s Primer on the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act
    Patient advocacy

    An Oncology Nurse’s Primer on the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act

    When Senator John McCain (R-AZ) passed away in August 2018 from aggressive glioblastoma just one day after his family announced he stopped treatment, it put a poignant highlight in Washington on a need of which oncology nurses are far too aware: palliative care and hospice. Ideally, palliative care begins at the time of a cancer diagnosis and is aimed at managing symptoms throughout the cancer journey. Hospice begins when a patient’s prognosis is six months or less, yet in most cases, as McCain’s illustrates, patients begin hospice far too close to death. Many point to a lack of awareness and education—for patients and the public as well as oncology nurses and other palliative care providers.

    October 22, 2018
    GOP Pre-Existing Conditions Bill; Biden in Pittsburgh; McCain’s Healthcare Legacy
    Health Policy

    GOP Pre-Existing Conditions Bill; Biden in Pittsburgh; McCain’s Healthcare Legacy

    As the Affordable Care Act is challenged in court, 12 Republican Senators signed a letter insisting that pre-existing conditions be covered in any new healthcare laws moving forward. Despite initial praise for the GOP, many patient advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, have voiced concerns about the efforts being far too little and far too late. On September 4, 2018, more than 25 patient advocacy groups came together and released a statement condemning a recent Republican bill stating it didn’t provide enough protections for pre-existing conditions, compared to what’s currently covered under the ACA. The advocacy groups noted the bill's outlying weaknesses and pushed for stronger reassurances.

    September 10, 2018
    Oncology Nurses Must Share Experiences, Perspectives to Advocate for Change
    Health Policy

    Oncology Nurses Must Share Experiences, Perspectives to Advocate for Change

    As an oncology nurse, I’m grateful to work alongside so many colleagues who bring dedication, grace, and skill to their work. No other industry in the world shares the same frustrations or emotional tolls as nursing, but we continue to bring enthusiasm, optimism, and devotion to our daily work. Nurses strive to ensure the best for their patients. It’s the call to patient advocacy that is at nursing’s core.

    August 28, 2018
    Why Pretesting Counseling Is Critical in the Age of Consumer Genetic Tests
    Genetics & genomics

    Why Pretesting Counseling Is Critical in the Age of Consumer Genetic Tests

    On March 6, 2018, 23andMe—an at-home genetic testing company—announced their direct-to-consumer genetic test (DTCGT) would include DNA results for the three common founder BRCA mutations commonly seen in people with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. This was big news because DNA results for the BRCA mutations had been previously available on the 23andMe panel report until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed them in 2013.

    July 06, 2018
    Nellie Diez, BSN, RN, OCN® and Kristin Soper, MSN, ANP-BC, AOCNP®
    Oncology nurse influence

    Focusing On the Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

    Imagine being in a hospital, unable to verbally communicate and having to find a way to get across your basic human needs. As oncology nurses, we take care of a variety of different patients: some able to make their needs known and some who unfortunately cannot.

    June 29, 2018
    Financial Toxicity Discussion Needs to Include Undocumented Patients
    Patient financial advocacy

    Financial Toxicity Discussion Needs to Include Undocumented Patients

    Financial toxicity in cancer care is an increasingly recognized burden for many patients. Driven by many factors, financial toxicity is often a combination of a patient’s individual characteristics, the costs associated with care, and the overall impact of the illness on a patient’s ability to work throughout the cancer journey. Financial toxicity negatively impacts patient outcomes, and many patients struggle with costs regardless of whether they’re covered by health insurance—this includes undocumented immigrants. Currently, more than 11.1 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, and they aren’t immune to cancer diagnoses.

    May 22, 2018
    Quality of care

    Providing Quality Healthcare to Different Patient Populations

    During a session at the 43rd Annual Congress in Washington, DC, various speakers discussed their work in providing quality health care to vulnerable patient populations.

    May 18, 2018
    Federal Officials Say No to Lifetime Limits on Medicaid; Empowered Patients Are the Future of Health Care; Healthcare Jobs Continue to Grow Faster Than Jobs in the General Economy
    Health Policy

    Federal Officials Say No to Lifetime Limits on Medicaid; Empowered Patients Are the Future of Health Care; Healthcare Jobs Continue to Grow Faster Than Jobs in the General Economy

    On May 7, 2018, the White House told the Department of Health and Human Services to overturn Kansas’s new lifetime limit restrictions on Medicaid. Kansas has been leading the way for states looking to implement restrictions to federal benefits. The state previously implemented work requirements for Medicaid recipients and was trying to impose time limits for how long recipients could receive Medicaid for some time. Had its efforts stood, this would mark a fundamental shift in how the federal program is implemented at the state level.

    May 14, 2018
    ONS Member Advocates for Patient Involvement in Clinical Pathways
    Patient advocacy

    ONS Member Advocates for Patient Involvement in Clinical Pathways

    I was selected to represent ONS as a panelist at the Cancer Innovation Coalition meeting held in Washington, DC in February 2018. The meeting, “Integrating Patient Perspective into Clinical Pathways: A Dialogue Between Stakeholders,” brought together patient advocates, healthcare professionals, and technology stakeholders to address and identify the importance of patient-centered care and involving patients in clinical pathways. The National Patient Advocate Foundation released an article outlining the topics covered in our discussion.

    April 04, 2018
    Oncology Nurses Need to Screen for Financial Toxicity
    Nursing education

    Why Do Oncology Nurses Need to Screen for Financial Toxicity?

    It’s beneficial to think about financial toxicity in terms of issues adhering to treatment. Mounting evidence suggests that patients with financial toxicity aren’t adhering to their cancer care. It’s becoming a common side effect of cancer treatment, and patients might be less likely to take treatments their medical team prescribes because of it, leading to substandard care.

    November 01, 2017
    Financial Toxicity and Its Burden on Cancer Care
    Patient financial advocacy

    Financial Toxicity and Its Burden on Cancer Care

    The cost of health care in the United States has been the source of debate for years. Questions range from the extent of Medicare and a Medicaid coverage, how—or if—the government should regulate drug prices, who deserves coverage, and how Institutions collect payments from insurance companies. But often, one important aspect is missing from the numerous conversations on health care, treatments, and financial reimbursements: the patients.

    November 01, 2017
    Susan Schneider
    Quality of care

    Oncology Nurses Need to Advocate for Access to Quality Care

    Specialized Knowledge: Quality Care. This is my ONS presidential platform. In several columns, I have discussed how ONS resources can provide you with the specialized knowledge and expertise to provide quality care. This issue, I’d like to focus on quality care.

    September 07, 2017
    Capitol Roundup
    Affordable Care Act (ACA)

    Republicans May Aim to Repeal ACA Without a Replacement Plan; Majority of Americans Support Government Health Care; Q&A With New Jersey State Nurses Association CEO

    After failing to garner support for the GOP’s healthcare bill in the Senate—known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) noted that the next strategy for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be to repeal the legislation without any concrete healthcare bill to replace it. In 2015, the Senate already successful voted to repeal the ACA, but it was vetoed by former President Obama. According to McConnell, the 2017 repeal effort would provide a two-year window to ensure a stable transition.

    July 24, 2017
    Susan Schneider
    ONS Leadership

    Through Early Detection, We Can Impact Cancer Mortality

    Earlier in 2017, a group of 12 nurses traveled to Cuba to learn about cancer care and the healthcare system there. Cubans are very proud of their healthcare and educational systems, which are offered without charge to their citizens. We learned so much on this trip, but my take-home message from this experience was the importance of prevention and early detection.

    July 17, 2017
    Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit

    Best Practices for Managing Patients in Palliative Care

    Palliative care is a patient-centered approach that seeks to optimize quality of life. Advocacy is also important, which includes incorporating patient and family goals into the care plan, promoting communication, actively managing symptoms, promoting and nurturing transcendence and hope, eliminating patients’ and families’ fears of abandonment, and being therapeutically present. At the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit, Bonnie Freeman, DNP, RN, ANP, CT, ACHPN, a nurse practitioner in the Department of Supportive Care Medicine at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA, discussed the best strategies related to palliative care.

    June 16, 2017
    Cancer Parity Drug
    Cancer health policy

    Bipartisan Cancer Parity Drug Legislation Introduced in U.S. Congress

    Two members of the House of Representatives have put political party differences aside and introduced bipartisan legislation that requires health insurers to cover traditional chemotherapy, along with oral medications associated with cancer treatment. U.S. Representatives Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Brian Higgins (D-NY) have proposed the Cancer Drug Parity Act (H.R. 1409). The intent of the bill is to ensure appropriate oncologic treatments are affordable and covered for patients with cancer.

    May 17, 2017
    Double Helix
    Genetics & genomics

    The Story of Henrietta Lacks Sheds Light on Ethical Considerations in Genetic Testing

    Imagine a situation where a patient’s tumor cells were used for countless scientific experiments—without the patient’s informed consent. Safeguards are in place today to prevent such an ethical breach, but in 1951 Henrietta Lacks and her family weren’t as lucky. Author Rebecca Skloot shared Henrietta’s story in a 2010 nonfiction book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, that was adapted into a movie released on April 22, 2017.

    April 28, 2017
    policy makers discussing cancer prevention
    Cancer prevention

    Advocating for Opportunities in Cancer Prevention

    As an ONS member, I participate in the Bipartisan Policy Center and represent oncology nursing in dialogue and advocacy regarding health policy topics that are at the forefront of cancer care.

    January 01, 2017
    End of life (EOL)

    Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life

    Oncology nurses are often called on to act as mediators through difficult moments, advocating for their patients while connecting caregivers with the resources that will help them during a challenging time.
    September 06, 2016
    Patient advocacy

    Reflecting on Medical Errors and Advocating for Change

    Mistakes happen. Unfortunately, there’s no avoiding it, no one is above it, and I'm sure we can all think of a time that we made a mistake in our nursing practice. The events following a mistake in patient care can be chaotic and emotional. But after the dust settles, what’s most important is learning how to avoid the same mistakes from occurring again, and doing all you can to prevent your fellow nurses from making mistakes in a similar situation. Think of it as primary prevention.
    June 13, 2016
    Cancer moonshot

    How Oncology Nurses Are Working on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative

    In his last state of the union address of his presidency, on January 12, President Obama announced a new “moonshot” funding plan and asked Vice President Biden to lead the initiative to eliminate cancer as we know it. Some of us remember the original moonshot funding request made by President Kennedy, almost 55 years ago, to put a man on the moon before the decade ended and other initiatives. The cancer moonshot goal is to achieve a decade’s worth of advances in five years. Critical to this happening is the elimination of siloes.
    April 05, 2016
    Care coordination

    The Case of the Troubling Transport

    During orientation, Justine learns that women scheduled for a hookwire procedure are transported to the mammography suite located across the parking area of the hospital building. Patients are being taken through the public waiting area during the transport. She knows this is a patient privacy violation, but her supervisor tells her, “This is the way we've always done it.”
    March 15, 2016
    Oncology patient hires private advocate
    Patient advocacy

    What Nurses Need to Know About Private Patient Advocates

    Navigating the healthcare system as a patient with cancer, with multiple treatment options, frequent appointments, diagnostic tests, new medications, and insurance complications, is confusing and can become overwhelming. Advocacy is one crucial role a nurse fulfills, providing education and support to assist patients with making decisions and managing their condition.
    February 02, 2016
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