The Quality Training Program allows practices to seek and receive guidance on holistically assessing and improving systemic areas of the care they provide.— Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO
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On July 14, ASCO announced the 14 practices participating in the 2016 Quality Training Program. The program is designed to train oncology health-care providers to investigate and implement data-driven quality improvement and manage clinical and administrative processes and outcomes.
“One of the most important tenets of ASCO’s mission is to promote the highest-quality patient care, and a significant component of that is aiding oncology providers in meeting and exceeding quality standards,” said Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO. “The Quality Training Program allows practices to seek and receive guidance on holistically assessing and improving systemic areas of the care they provide.”
Practices that participate in the Quality Training Program must apply. Those selected must demonstrate a commitment of time and resources and undergo an extensive and rigorous review process by the program’s selection committee. This year’s class comprises team members from:
- Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center Multiple locations in Arizona
- Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, Ohio
- Contemporary Oncology Team Athens, Greece
- Grady Health System Atlanta, Georgia
- JPS Center for Cancer Care Fort Worth, Texas
- NorthShore Kellogg Cancer Center Multiple locations in Illinois
- Oregon Health & Science University Portland, Oregon
- Parkland Health & Hospital System Dallas, Texas
- Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care New York, New York
- Tennessee Oncology Multiple locations in Tennessee
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, New York
- University of Rochester Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute Multiple locations in New York
- University of Virginia Cancer Center Multiple locations in Virginia
- Vermont Center for Cancer Medicine & Blood Disorders Multiple locations in Vermont
The Quality Training Program is centered around 5 days of in-person learning over 6 months, as well as hands-on learning at the participants’ practices. The program’s faculty, coaches, and participants are all renowned practitioners in oncology and quality improvement. The physicians and other professionals (nurses, pharmacists) who attend are eligible to receive continuing medical education (CME) credits. In addition, going through the program can help teams adjust for the changing reimbursement environment based on quality.
The 2015 Quality Training Program led to many successes at the practices where the participants worked, such as1:
- Decreased the number of oncology patients utilizing the emergency room by 60%
- Improved the percentage of symptom management calls being addressed within 2 hours from 48% to 73%
The applications for the 2017 program will open in March. For more information on how to apply, visit asco.org/training-education/professional-development/quality-training-program. ■
Reference
© 2016. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
