Thomas Asfeldt on the Benefits to Patients and Practices of Integrated Cancer Care Teams
June 17th 2018While there isn’t a lot of hard science out yet, there have been benefits seen for both patients and practices when integrated cancer care teams are used, Thomas Asfeldt, MBA, RN, director of Outpatient Cancer Services at Sanford Cancer Center.
Read More
Clara Lambert: Health-Related Financial Challenges Go Beyond Insurance Coverage
June 12th 2018While physicians are becoming more aware of the financial hardships facing patients, they are mostly still focused on insurance, said oncology financial navigator Clara Lambert, BBA, OPN-CG, chair of the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee.
Read More
Barbara Tofani Explains the Understanding Needed to Set Up a Care Coordination Model
June 10th 2018When creating a care coordination model, it is important to understand what the model is trying to achieve and what everyone’s roles are in the model, explained Barbara Tofani, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, administrative director of the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.
Read More
Dr Kathleen Blake: Successful Clinician Burnout Programs Address Health System Problems
June 9th 2018Burnout can impact how well a clinician connects with patients and makes medical decision, and programs that successfully address burnout start with leadership, said Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, vice president for Performance Improvement at the American Medical Association.
Read More
Dr Yousuf Zafar: Predicting Financial Hardship Is Challenging
June 8th 2018Financial hardship doesn’t mean the same thing for anybody, and accurately predicting who will experience financial toxicity is challenging, said Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, of the Duke Cancer Institute and a member of the Association of Community Cancer Centers Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee.
Read More
Pamela Tobias Outlines Using Data in EHRs and Data That Go Underutilized
June 6th 2018It’s really important to take advantage of the data in an electronic health record (EHR) system, but sometimes people don’t know what information is being captured behind the scenes, said Pamela Tobias, MS, RHIA, CHDA, administrator of oncology services at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Read More
James Grayson: The Stigma of Burnout Is Gone and Focus Should Be on the Future
June 3rd 2018While burnout is being acknowledge much better today, it has been getting worse and there should also be focus on what burnout will look like 20 or 30 years from now, said James Grayson, administrative chief of staff at West Cancer Center.
Read More
Barbara Tofani: Asking 2 Simple Questions Can Lead to Truly Patient-Centered Care
June 1st 2018Asking 2 simple questions of all patients would give care coordinators all the information they need to provide truly patient-centered care, said Barbara Tofani, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, administrative director of the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.
Read More
Clara Lambert on Screening Patients for Financial Distress
May 31st 2018Screening patients for financial distress remains a challenge, but it’s important to find those patients early and start financial planning discussions immediately, said oncology financial navigator Clara Lambert, BBA, OPN-CG, chair of the Association of Community Cancer Centers' Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee.
Read More
Dr Kathleen Blake Identifies the Biggest Stressors Causing Burnout
May 31st 2018Electronic health records, interoperability, and quality measures are the biggest stressors causing clinician burnout, said Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, vice president for Performance Improvement at the American Medical Association.
Read More
Dr Yousuf Zafar Explains How to Broach the Topic of Cost With Patients
May 30th 2018It is important to have financial discussions early and often with patients and framing the conversation in the right way, said Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, of the Duke Cancer Institute and a member of the Association of Community Cancer Centers Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee.
Read More
Dr Charles Saunders: Practices Don't Integrate Technology Well
May 29th 2018In general, practices and health systems don’t do a good job of integrating technology into practice, partly because most of the technology they use isn’t well suited to their needs, explained Charles Saunders, MD, CEO of Integra Connect.
Read More
Thomas Asfeldt Outlines Best Practices for Creating an Integrated Team and Communicating
May 28th 2018Success for integrated cancer care teams rely on a few things, such as having a champion, commitment, and strong communication, explained Thomas Asfeldt, MBA, RN, director of Outpatient Cancer Services at Sanford Cancer Center.
Read More
Dr James Hamrick Highlights How Technology Eases Burdens on Research Staff
May 25th 2018Technology can be used to make it easier for patients and practices to participate in clinical trials, while also easing some of the burden on research staff, said James Hamrick, MD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente and Flatiron Health.
Read More
James Grayson: Burnout Continues to Get Worse Among Physicians and Presents in Different Ways
May 24th 2018Burnout among physicians is only getting worse, but there are ways an organization can put a program in place to address or even prevent burnout, said James Grayson, administrative chief of staff at West Cancer Center.
Read More
Clara Lambert Discusses the Role of Financial Navigators and Explaining Insurance Coverage
May 23rd 2018Often when financial navigators have discussions related to cost with patients, they have to start out defining the patient’s insurance benefits, said oncology financial navigator Clara Lambert, BBA, OPN-CG, chair of the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee.
Read More
Barbara Tofani Outlines Best Practices and Mistakes of Care Coordination
May 22nd 2018Using technology and collected data can greatly improve care coordination, but some low-tech options, like better team communication and involving the patient are also important, explained Barbara Tofani, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, administrative director of the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.
Read More
Dr Kathleen Blake Outlines How Burnout Affects Specialties Differently
May 21st 2018Looking at how burnout affects specialties differently shows that it’s not a work–life balance issues, but a systems one, said Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, vice president for Performance Improvement at the American Medical Association.
Read More
Dr Mark Soberman Discusses Integrated Care Teams in Oncology
May 16th 2018Integrated care teams will create more value for the patient, but there are multiple challenges in the creation of these teams, said Mark Soberman, MD, MBA, FACS, former president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers.
Read More
Pamela Tobias Discusses Pulling Data from EHRs to Improve Processes
May 15th 2018Pulling data out of an electronic health record (EHR) to be analyzed can be difficult because that’s not what these systems were typically created to do, said Pamela Tobias, MS, RHIA, CHDA, administrator of oncology services at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Read More
Thomas Asfeldt Highlights 3 Key Challenges to Creating Integrated Cancer Care Teams
May 15th 2018Creating integrated cancer care teams is part of a paradigm shift that requires thinking of care delivery in a different way, explained Thomas Asfeldt, MBA, RN, director of Outpatient Cancer Services at Sanford Cancer Center.
Read More
Dr Yousuf Zafar Discusses the Burden of Financial Toxicity and Trends Over Time
May 14th 2018Financial toxicity has been on the rise, but there has been movement toward reducing the burden through better communication and shared decision making, said Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, of the Duke Cancer Institute and a member of the Association of Community Cancer Centers Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee.
Read More
Dr Kathleen Blake Highlights Telltale Signs of Burnout
May 10th 2018There are ways to identify if a colleague is becoming burned out, but also ways people can identify burnout in themselves, explained Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, vice president for Performance Improvement at the American Medical Association (AMA).
Read More
Barbara Tofani: The Old Ways of Coordinating Care Are Gone
May 7th 2018The old ways that physicians used to coordinate care no longer work and the idea of just hiring 1 person to do it hasn’t been sufficient, said Barbara Tofani, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, administrative director of the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.
Read More