The Bon Secours St. Francis Cancer Survivorship Program: A model for community-based multidisciplinary survivorship care.

Abstract

45 Background: In 1974, Giulio D' Angio,MD, stated “Cure Is Not Enough” and the concept of Survivorship was ignited. Multidisciplinary survivorship clinics have since become a mainstay of many pediatric cancer programs; few such clinics exist in adult cancer programs, especially in community practice. We report on the development of a survivorship care plan and a community-based clinic designed to provide guideline-driven after care for cancer survivors. Methods: An overview of the vision and mission of the Bone Secours St. Francis Cancer Center Survivorship Program is provided. Descriptive analysis of the components and metrics of success are provided, in the context of accrediting organizations requirements for current and future goals for survivorship care. Results: BSSF, which is a non-academic, community-based cancer program, and receives over 1300 referrals annually from a referral population of 1.32 million in 10 counties. St. Francis , accredited by both the Commission on Cancer and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, has been providing cancer‐related services to the Upstate South Carolina region for a decade. The survivorship program at St. Francis is a STAR‐certified program and is a patient‐centered service provided in a comprehensive and coordinated multidisciplinary team approach, including integrated psychologic care. A custom survivorship care plan was developed and efforts, including successes and barriers, to implementation of plans for all cancer survivors in accordance with CoC and NAPBC goals are addressed. Conclusions: The BSSF Cancer Center Survivorship Program has developed a practical, yet comprehensive SCP, which is risk-adapted and guideline-driven in order to provide customized survivorship education and monitoring. The MDC provides comprehensive evaluations and recommendations in order to maximize health and well-being of patients navigating life after cancer diagnosis and treatment. Our efforts have demonstrated that survivorship clinics of this nature can be established and successful in a non-academic community setting.