ASCO joined the President’s Cancer Panel on September 7, 2023, to highlight the numerous ways ASCO is working to advance the National Cancer Plan and achieve President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot goal of “ending cancer as we know it.”
This all-day, virtual event was the first public meeting in support of the National Cancer Plan since its April launch. The National Cancer Plan focuses on eight domains or targets spanning prevention and early detection through improved treatments, greater access to clinical trials, and better overall care delivery. It also prioritizes eliminating health disparities and diversifying the cancer care workforce.
“The National Cancer Plan is the exact roadmap we need to accelerate success in saving more lives from cancer in America,” said ASCO President Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO, Director of the Tara Miller Melanoma Center at the University of Pennsylvania, who attended the event and discussed several high-priority Society efforts aligned with the plan. “ASCO is eager to share the many ways our organization is already working in support of the plan and learn more about what other groups are doing and ways we may be able to collaborate to make the most progress.”
Among the initiatives Dr. Schuchter highlighted is ASCO Certified—a new program that certifies outpatient oncology group practices and health systems that meet a single set of evidence-based oncology medical home standards to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered care. The program has been successfully piloted with 12 practice groups across 95 service sites and 500 oncologists. Of the pilot program participants, 100% reported they benefited from having a blueprint for delivering “high-quality, value cancer care.”
“We strongly believe the ASCO Certified program is going to change the future of cancer care. It works in any practice setting, from academic to community to rural, and fosters a real learning collaborative for providers, so they may provide the best care for their patients,” Dr. Schuchter said.
Other ASCO initiatives presented include a multiyear pilot program to increase access to high-quality cancer care in rural areas as well as a multistakeholder effort to develop and implement standard data elements for all oncology medical records.
“We look forward to continuing ASCO’s work to support the National Cancer Plan and learning more about all of the ways the oncology community is working toward advancing the plan’s goals,” Dr. Schuchter said.
