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.

Offering personalized treatment plans to patients with cancer is one of the biggest goals for any oncology institution—big or small. ONS leaders and members have united their personal and organizational efforts to move cancer care toward personalization while still aligning the needs of patients with nationally recognized clinical guidelines. Oncology nurses consistently strive to deliver quality cancer care to their patients.

Oncology institutions across the United States are implementing big change in the way nurses and physicians deliver care to patients with cancer. By highlighting quality care and smart spending, facilities are reimagining the way cancer is treated in America. New procedures, research, and technology have redefined the way cancer is treated, so a new system for delivery and reimbursement is vital to ensure that quality care can be delivered at a reasonable cost.

Oncology care is a complex, expensive, and often-fragmented area of medicine. To understand the potential need for a new payment model in oncology care, a thorough evaluation of all the data was important. By reviewing the oncology literature associated with costs and quality, we discovered that there were wide variations in the costs associated with the treatment of advanced cancers, but little variation in the outcomes of patients. We also identified gaps in patient care that we thought could be improved.

In late June, I had the opportunity to wear two advocacy hats: one for ONS, and one for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS). It was an incredible experience to walk the halls of the U.S. Congress to help educate elected officials and their staff on legislation that affects cancer care.

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.

Since its pivotal report in 2001, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has advocated for improving the quality of U.S. health care. To that effect, the IOM’s latest report outlines a systematic plan to help the U.S. healthcare system meet that goal.

“At first glance, you could say that applying manufacturing processes to health care is cold or impersonal,” Holly Dowling, RN, BSN, OCN®, clinical nurse educator for ambulatory hematology/oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA, says.