ACCC 35th National Oncology Conference Provides Proven Strategies for Quality Care Delivery

Hundreds of oncology professionals will gather for this “how-to” conference to hear innovative strategies for enhancing program operations, addressing gaps in care delivery, tackling real-world challenges, and supporting a culture of well-being for the entire multidisciplinary care team.

What: Association of Community Cancer Centers 35th National Oncology Conference

When: October 17—19, 2018

Where: Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, Phoenix, Arizona

Conference sessions will offer fresh approaches for overcoming current challenges and practical “how to’s” for operationalizing advances in cancer care. Across all healthcare settings today clinician burnout is recognized as a critical issue. Thomas A. Gallo, MS, MDA, ACCC President, selected his 2018—2019 president’s theme: Reflect, Renew, Reignite: Creating a Resilient Oncology Team in Your Community, both to recognize the need to support the entire multidisciplinary care team and to bring forward successful strategies for integrating well-being into the workplace. Conference featured speakers will spark peer-to-peer insights on transformative action to address this critical challenge.

Featured Speakers

Featured speakers at the ACCC 35th National Oncology Conference, October 17—19 in Phoenix, AZ, will share strategies that foster resilience and a healthcare culture that places value on the well-being of the entire multidisciplinary team and staff providing cancer care to patients.

Vicki Hess, RN, MS, Employee Engagement Solutions, LLC

Creating a Resilient, Results-Driven Oncology Team

Noted expert in clinician and staff engagement, Vicki Hess will inspire action with easy-to-implement ideas that have the power to transform workflow and help create a work environment where staff is committed, patients are engaged, and goals are achieved.

Julie Kennedy Oehlert, DNP, RN, Vidant Health

Culture as a Strategic Imperative

The shift to a broader definition of “experience”—one that includes staff wellness and the impact of environmental setting— requires healthcare to adopt a more holistic strategy to achieve optimal organizational results. Drawing on decades of experience, Julie Kennedy Oehlert will share insights on how strategic planning, goal setting, leadership development, data analytics, and human resource practices can help achieve intentional culture disruption within every care delivery setting. Dale Dauten, The Innovators’ Lab^®

From Ideas to Innovation

Author and syndicated newspaper columnist, Dale Dauten, will share key principles for creating a vibrant innovation-oriented culture that engages employees across disciplines to share ideas, work together, and embrace experimentation. People hate to change, but love to experiment. To sell the idea of making a change, you must get consensus that the idea is certain to work. To sell an experiment, you merely need to convince someone that it might work.

Sanjeev Arora, MD, FACG, MACP, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes)

Project ECHO: A Model for Moving Knowledge—Not Patients

Dr. Arora developed Project ECHO as a “disruptive innovation” to dramatically improve both capacity and access to specialty care for rural and underserved populations. This model links expert multispecialty teams with primary care clinicians through teleECHO clinics, where with guidance, feedback, and didactic education, specialists can mentor primary care clinicians to treat complex conditions.

2018 ACCC Innovator Awards

During the National Oncology Conference, ACCC will present its eighth annual Innovator Awards to seven forward-thinking ACCC Cancer Program Members that are paving the way in care delivery with replicable solutions to improve the access, quality, and value of patient care. Details on the winning programs are available here.

2018 ACCC Award Winners

The National Oncology Conference is an opportunity for ACCC to confer special recognition to members of the oncology community who have distinguished themselves in service to patients, the community, the profession, and the Association. ACCC will present three awards: The Annual Achievement Award to Otis Webb Brawley, MD, MACP, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer; Executive Vice President, Research, American Cancer Society; the Clinical Research Award to Patricia A. Ganz, MD, Medical Oncologist, UCLA School of Medicine; and the David King Community Clinical Scientist Award to James L. Wade III, MD, FACP, FASCO, Medical Oncologist, Founder, Cancer Care Specialists of Illinois. More information is available here.

Highlighted Sessions

Leveraging a Multidisciplinary Approach to Multiple Myeloma Care Breakfast Session

Abhinav B. Chandra, MD, Yuma Regional Medical Center Cancer Center

This session will unveil ways to tailor care plans and effectively manage patients with high-risk profiles, guideline recommendations for prevention and management of skeletal-related events, and effective practices for implementing a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to care for this patient population.

Additional sessions cover timely topics and the latest research across the oncology care continuum, including:

“Prescribing” Exercise and Nutrition in Cancer Care: Jessica Clague DeHart, PhD, MPH, City of Hope

The Oncology Pharmacy Navigator: A New Best Practice Model for Managing Medications Kelly Rice, PharmD, Legacy Cancer Institute

Combating Rising Drug Prices & Waste Through Drug Vial Optimization: Lindsey Amerine, PharmD, MS, BCPS, University of North Carolina, North Carolina Cancer Hospital, Department of Pharmacy

Best Practices in Cancer Clinical Trials: Two Model Research Programs—Resolving Rivalries and Realigning Goals Improve Multi-Team Systems in Clinical Research: David E. Gerber, MD, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

CAR-T Therapy Part 1: Implications for Patient Care Olalekan Oluwole, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

October 17 - Pre-Conference Workshops

Fundamentals of the Business of Oncology

Actionable tools, discus­sions with leading experts, and shared peer experiences to accelerate knowledge in oncology management. Topics to include workforce issues, team-based care, recruitment and retention, strategic planning, EHR efficiencies, infusion center staffing, financial advocacy guidelines, care team well-being, and employment models.

The Evolving Role of the Oncology Pharmacy: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

Examines the challenges facing oncology pharmacy team members, from the rapid pace of new indications and drug approvals to complex treatment regimens and the shifting financial advocacy landscape.