American Oncology Network’s Post

📣 Tina (Anita) Basenese, MA, APN, ACHPN, Astera Cancer Care, and vice chair of OneOncology's palliative care committee, authored this piece in AJMC - The American Journal of Managed Care's Evidenced-Based Oncology detailing 6 strategies to advance and scale palliative care. 🖋 "The good news," Tina writes, "is that palliative care is finally beginning to establish itself as a stand-alone specialty, one not seen as synonymous with hospice. This shift could allow palliative care to scale, enhancing the patient experience and reducing costs nationwide. However, this will require that payers recognize and use the specialty’s best practices. Only when palliative care is delivered correctly can this specialty reach its potential." ⤵ Read the full article. ⤵ https://lnkd.in/ddYn7xFi

Worthwhile read on the importance of Palliatiative care.

Hospice is a valuable resource for patients with a terminal diagnosis. Learn more about how hospice can help patients with end-stage colon cancer. #ColonCancerAwarenessMonth https://lnkd.in/esT-hnD5

What exactly is palliative care? This handy explainer from the CANCER ASSOCIATION OF NAMIBIA (WO30) tells you more.

Cancer palliative care is a type of care that aims to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease, such as cancer. It can help with physical, emotional, social, and spiritual issues that cancer patients may face during the cancer experience. Here are some tips for getting started with palliative care: 1. Ask your oncologist or primary care provider about palliative care options and referrals. You can receive palliative care at any stage of your cancer journey, along with your curative treatments. 2. Talk to a doctor about your goals, values, and preferences for your care. They can help you make a personalized care plan that addresses your specific needs and concerns. 3. Seek support from your family, friends, and other sources of emotional and spiritual guidance. Palliative care needs counseling, relaxation techniques, and medicines to help you cope with stress and anxiety. 4. Manage your symptoms and side effects with the help of your doctor. 5. Doctors can prescribe medications, nutritional changes, and other interventions to ease your pain, fatigue, nausea, and other discomforts. 6. Plan ahead for the transition to end-of-life care if your cancer is advanced or incurable. Palliative care at home can help you and your loved ones make informed decisions about hospice, advance directives, and other end-of-life issues.

*Earlier Palliative Consultations Decreases Cost of Care* ⚡️Introducing #RaihanReads, a new series where I dig into the clinical literature and present a published medical study on the clinical and financial benefits of end-of-life care navigation. First up: 💡Findings: Earlier Palliative Consultations Decreases Cost of Care 🔗: https://lnkd.in/dTGJUGuX 📚Year and Journal: 2022 study in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine 📊Method: Matched cohort study among Medicare patients with metastatic lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. We matched patients who received a palliative care consultation to similar patients who did not receive a palliative care consultation on factors related to both the receipt of palliative care and end of life costs. 🎯25% in cost decrease if patients receive a palliative consult vs. patients who do not 🎯$4,643 in cost savings if Palliative care consultation more than 4 weeks from death 🎯$451 in cost savings if Palliative care consult within 7 days of death ⚡️My take: In a year of revenue headwinds, total cost of care reduction is hot again. Look no further than the last 1-2 years of life where there is typically highest hospitalization burden. This study spotlights the financial ROI of investing in having earlier palliative care consultations for advanced cancer patients.

The Med Oncology Interdisciplinary Support Group had their third meeting to discuss challenging cases. This meeting focused on improving cancer care for undocumented patients. They had a great turn out, with attendance from Social Work, Oncology, Hospitalist, and Nursing. It's always great to see different divisions working together to tackle important issues. #washu #medonc #oncology #medicine #nursing

The role of hospice in the care of ovarian cancer patients is vital to ensure the patient receives the comfort and support they need during their most vulnerable times. Learn more about how hospice can support your patients at https://nuvi.me/ip5304. #OvarianCancerAwarenessMonth #Hospice

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Muhammad Siddiqui, MD, explained the role that palliative medicine plays in a cancer treatment plan and how oncologists and palliative care physicians can work together in patients’ best interests. Palliative care physicians work to improve the quality-of-life of patients with serious or life-threatening diseases, including cancer. Oncologists can work together with palliative care physicians to treat not only a patient’s disease, but also manage their emotional, spiritual, and practical/ Learn More... needs.tps://https://lnkd.in/ei4S2muH

"An IOTA isn't enough." There is a lot to like about the Improving Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But, for this Model to really increase kidney transplant volume and improve access to kidney transplantation for all candidates, the IOTA model should be better resourced and include quality benchmarks that transplant hospitals can realistically achieve. My OpEd on the IOTA Model: https://lnkd.in/ejurB_BW