News Details
NCCN and Pfizer Address Quality Improvement in Breast Cancer through Clinical Pathways
NCCN and Pfizer seek grant proposals for use of clinical care pathways aimed at quality improvement along the continuum of care for patients with breast cancer.
[FORT WASHINGTON, PA — May 19, 2017] Evidence- and systems-based standardization of clinical processes, such as the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), support decision-making and quality improvement in the care of patients with cancer. Moreover, clinical pathways have emerged as point-of-care informational tools used by health care providers to improve quality of care based on the most current medical evidence and recommendations within the NCCN Guidelines®.
To further encourage and subsequently evaluate such programs, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) is working with Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change (IGLC) to fund grant proposals for projects utilizing clinical care pathways to address a quality improvement (QI) initiative along the continuum of care for patients with breast cancer.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by NCCN and Pfizer strongly encourages proposals that address the use of clinical pathways in community centers, low-resource centers, and centers that focus on the treatment of underserved patients with cancer. All U.S.-based organizations, including NCCN Member Institutions, community affiliates of NCCN Member Institutions and other academic medical centers, and community cancer centers are encouraged to submit proposals.
“NCCN recognizes the emerging role of evidence-based clinical care pathways in cancer, and we are pleased to once again align with Pfizer IGLC to improve the quality of care of people with breast cancer, particularly those in underserved communities across the United States,” said Susan Most, RN, MBA Director, Clinical Operations, NCCN ORP.
The RFP seeks proposals in two specific areas of interest:
- Clinical Care Pathways Development
- Develop and implement programs that improve efficiency and reduce costs to improve the quality of breast cancer patient care, including one or more of the following:
- May be technology based, but it is not necessary
- Support multidisciplinary collaboration
- Include partnerships to improve access to multidisciplinary and specialized care
- Improve patient adherence to medications and improve patient safety
- Address patient emotional needs, psychosocial support and advocacy issues
- May incorporate virtual tumor boards, telemedicine, support services etc.
- May reduce payers’ administrative burden for authorization or provers’ burden for payment of care for patients with breast cancer
- Develop and implement programs that improve efficiency and reduce costs to improve the quality of breast cancer patient care, including one or more of the following:
- Clinical Care Pathways Implementation or Education
- Demonstration of care or process improvement in centers through the utilization of pathway programs
- Integration into electronic health records
- Implementation throughout healthcare system/affiliates
- Strategies for provider training and education
The NCCN ORP, organized to obtain funding to support scientifically meritorious research studies at NCCN Member Institutions and other centers, leads the organization for review and evaluation of applications. A review committee, led by NCCN and including a medical representative from Pfizer, will decide which proposals will receive funding. Grant funding will be provided by Pfizer IGLC.
The RFP deadline is June 26, 2017. For more information about NCCN ORP and view the RFP, visit NCCN.org/ORP.
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