News Details
Improving the Utility of Value Tools in Cancer Care for Patients
NCCN will host its annual patient advocacy summit on December 9 in Washington, DC to explore gaps in current value tools, as well as patient definitions of value.
(FORT WASHINGTON, PA, November 30, 2016) — Across the oncology field, there is a mounting pressure to improve quality and define value of cancer care from a patient perspective. This need to define value is recognized by key stakeholders in oncology, a variety of whom have begun to develop value tools and calculators to determine the most valuable treatment options. Intended for use in the shared decision-making process, these tools must reflect the most accurate and timely treatment options and evaluate value based on individual patients’ needs and preferences. Therefore, it is imperative that these tools not only provide information to help patients make decisions regarding their cancer care, but that they do so in a way that is easily attainable and understandable for patients. Despite current innovative tools and initiatives around value, there still exists a significant need for additional patient-centered value tools.
On Friday, December 9, 2016, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), as part of its Oncology Policy Program, will convene its annual Patient Advocacy Summit at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This year’s summit, Value Tools for Patients in Cancer Care, will highlight the findings and recommendations of NCCN’s multi-stakeholder Value Tools for Patients in Cancer Care Working Group, which included patients, patient advocates, clinicians, social workers, and financial planners. The summit will bring together these stakeholder groups, as well as payers, industry, and government representatives, to explore how patients define value in cancer care; and discuss the gaps, needs, and utility of value tools for patients.
Moderated by Clifford Goodman, PhD, The Lewin Group, the summit will commence with a Working Group report delivered by Alan Balch, PhD, Patient Advocate Foundation, and Lisa Lentz, MPH, NCCN, followed by a panel discussion of the gaps in current tools and how to address these gaps in decision-making preparedness. The first panel discussion, Gaps of Value Tools for Patients in Cancer Care, features the following experts:
- Alan Balch, PhD, Patient Advocate Foundation
- Jack Gentile, Harborside Press, Patient Perspective
- Bruce Gould, MD, Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers
- Barbara Jagels, RN, MHA, CPHQ, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
- Michael B. Lawing, Kidney Cancer Association, Cancer Advocate
- Laura Porter, MD, Colon Cancer Alliance, Patient Perspective
The second half of the summit will focus on the utility of value tools for patients, beginning with a demonstration of a Breast Cancer Surgical Decision Support iPad Tool by Sandhya Pruthi, MD, of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, followed by an expert panel discussion titled, Understanding Principles and Parameters of Value Tools for Patients in Oncology. The second roundtable will cover the challenges to and feasibility of widespread adoption of value tools, as well as how to adopt standard processes with individual needs of the patient. The following experts will participate in the panel:
- Kate Chenok, MBA, Chenok Associates
- James Randolph (Randy) Hillard, MD, Michigan State University, Patient Perspective
- Linda House, RN, BSN, MSM, Cancer Support Community
- Sandhya Pruthi, MD, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
- Scott Shortenhaus, Lilly Oncology, PACE Program
- Beckie VonRuden, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Patient Perspective
On-site demonstrations of the following value tools will be available to attendees:
- NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) with NCCN Evidence Blocks™
- National Health Council’s Patient-Centered Value Model Rubric
- Patient Advocate Foundation’s Consumer-Based Cancer Care Value Index
- The University of Chicago Medical Center’s COST Tool
For more information or to register, visit NCCN.org/policy.
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