ICYMI: Highlights From ACCC Spring 2024

Our top content coverage from the Spring Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit included discussions on health care worker retention strategies, integrating electronic health records (EHRs) in precision medicine, and initiatives for improving quality in cancer care.

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5. Treating the Whole Person in Cancer Care: Addressing Comprehensive Services

Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, became ACCC’s president, and highlighted the need to address patients’ holistic needs beyond treating cancer. She emphasized the emotional, relational, and mental health challenges that patients often face, urging a shift in the standard of care. Expert panelists discussed advancements in patient navigation, sexual health, care for sexual and gender minorities, exercise oncology, and mental health, highlighting the importance of advocacy, standardized approaches, and addressing gaps in provider training.

4. ACCC AMCCBS 2024: On Location Interviews, Day 1

On Day 1 of the conference, The American Journal of Managed Care^®(AJMC^®) spoke with Kirollos Hanna, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, director of pharmacy at Minnesota Oncology and assistant professor of pharmacy at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, on the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other legislation and regulations in oncology, barriers around prior authorization, and more. Additionally, AJMC spoke with Alti Rahman, MHA, MBA, chief strategy and innovation officer at the American Oncology Network, about some similar topics, as well as his session on artificial and business intelligence (AI/BI) technology.

3. What Are the Steps to Quality Improvement in Cancer Care?

The shift toward quality care in oncology has been transformative, but bringing quality improvement (QI) projects to life within health care institutions remains a challenge. Consultant Christina Southey outlined a roadmap for adopting innovations, navigating barriers, and integrating QI initiatives into workflows. Southey emphasized understanding diffusion of innovation, a model that categorizes individuals into groups based on how quickly they adopt change.

2. Integrating the EHR for Precision Medicine Has Evolved

The integration of genomic data into EHRs is transforming precision medicine but remains with challenges, as only 46% of patients with cancer undergo biomarker testing, and fewer than half of those with actionable mutations receive appropriate therapies. In a session, experts highlighted how standardizing workflows, streamlining data access, and improving decision-support tools in EHRs like Epic and Flatiron can help close these gaps and ensure more patients benefit from targeted treatments.

1. Retaining Health Care Workers Starts With Insights on “How We Can Stop Breaking Them”

Staffing challenges in health care, exacerbated by the pandemic, have left workers burned out, unrecognized, and less willing to endure toxic environments. Katherine A. Meese, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Health Services Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, emphasized rebuilding trust and addressing burnout through organizational support, recognition, and a sense of belonging—factors far more critical than money in retaining staff. Meese urged leaders to prioritize human-centered workplaces, foster forgiveness, and embrace transparent communication to create environments where health care workers can thrive.