Cancer programs develop own guidelines to measure quality

Abstract

An increasing number of cancer programs are developing their own guidelines to measure and track the quality of care provided, rather than waiting to be told to do so by payers, according to a survey conducted by the Association of Community Cancer Centers. The organization's annual survey of trends in cancer programs found that, although the use of metrics to track and measure quality is increasing, only 28% of respondents say that their payers require quality measures. Nevertheless, the majority of respondents believe that requirement will happen in the future. Approximately 24% of survey respondents report that they are involved with an accountable care organization that has an oncology component, which is up from 5% in 2013. Another 22% of oncology providers say they plan to participate in an accountable care organization in the future. In addition, an increasing number of cancer programs are working to ensure they are ready for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer standards, which go into effect in 2015, including requirements involving palliative care, clinical trials, patient navigation, cancer survivorship, and genetic counseling. Patient-centered care also is leading to an increase in the number of supportive services being offered, the survey found. These services include integrative and complementary therapies as well as financial advocacy. Regarding the latter, approximately 90% of respondents note that they offer financial assistance services whereas 84% say they have financial specialists on staff.