ASCOPost.com | JANUARY 15, 2013
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Direct from ASCO
cer center or by an oncology practice.” A patient with a low risk of cancer recurrence and a low risk of late effects who is psychosocially stable likely will receive adequate follow-up care from a PCP, through coordination with the patient’s oncologist. Even the highrisk patient needs to be followed by a PCP for non-cancer and non-cancer therapy needs, he added. ASCO strongly supports the position that effective communication between the oncologist and the PCP is essential to ensure that the cancer survivor receives appropriate long-term follow-up care in the primary care setting based on the patient’s risk profile. This requires the oncologist to provide information—in the form of a treatment summary and care plan—that “demystifies the cancer experience.” He added that such information should be presented in an easy-to-read format that outlines the three to five key clinical issues to monitor in the patient. ASCO’s websites offers both oncologists and patients access to treatment summary and survivor-
Mary McCabe, RN, MA
ship care plan templates to help provide a roadmap for managing care following active treatment.
Advocating for Policy Change In an effort to encourage systemwide change during these fiscally uncertain times, ASCO advocates for leveraging existing legislation to support initiatives to improve cancer survivorship care quality, while ensuring that all patient have access to adequate and affordable coverage. This includes continued support of legislation aimed at comprehensive care coordination, such as provisions of the Affordable Care Act like accountable care organizations and medical homes; working within the framework of
essential health benefits to define and advocate for services essential to cancer survivors; pushing for inclusion of survivorship in the development of national and state cancer control plans; and increasing policymaker awareness of cancer survivorship issues.
Mary McCabe, RN, MA, Director of Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Cancer Survivorship Program and ASCO Cancer Survivorship Committee Chair, said, “Our goal in developing this survivorship agenda is to provide guidance that will assist the oncology community’s efforts to
ensure that all cancer survivors receive coordinated care that includes the full range of services necessary to assure the highest quality of life possible.” n © 2013. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All Rights Reserved.