Cancer Care: What's Fixable Now

Cancer Care: What's Fixable Now is organized by Medical Interactive Community.,Release Date: December 14, 2020,Expiration Date: December 14, 2023,,Description:,Cancer care in the US has been described as a system in crisis, failing in its mission to be patient-centered, accessible, coordinated, and evidence-based. While many of the causes of this crisis are systemic, expensive to fix, and not easily addressed by physicians or practitioners, some of the problems most important to cancer patients can and should be tackled now. This monograph reviews the cancer care recommendations from the Institutes of Medicine/National Academy of Medicine and from an oncology professional society. From a risk management standpoint, professional liability for the failures and burdens of cancer care reside most immediately in communication- and coordination-related problems—problems that can be addressed without waiting for an overhaul of healthcare financing, an increase in research funding, or treatment breakthroughs. Improvements within reach include transforming the informed consent process, administering palliation concurrent with treatment, providing timely referral to hospice, and coordinating care by means of multi-disciplinary cancer care teams.,,Learning Outcomes/Objectives:,Upon completion, participants should be able to:,• Describe several ways to improve the informed consent process for cancer patients.,• Explain the rationale for the ASCO recommendation to provide palliative care concurrent with cancer treatment.,• Ask a patient two questions to elicit his or her end of life wishes.,• Design a multi-disciplinary cancer care team for a patient.,• Persuade a hospital administrator of the value of a care navigator for cancer patients.