scholarly journals Coping With the Oncology Workforce Shortage: Transitioning Oncology Follow-Up Care to Primary Care Providers

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 203-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Debono
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Medical Societies ◽  
Community Oncology ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
Oncology Providers

An effective response to the impending shortage of oncology services will require different actions from governmental bodies, academic cancer center leaders, medical societies, and community oncology providers.

Evaluation of coordination of cancer care between designated cancer hospitals and primary care providers: Results from a nationwide survey in Japan.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 84-84
Author(s):  
Taro Tomizuka ◽  
Tomone Watanabe ◽  
Satoru Kamitani ◽  
Takahiro Higashi
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Care Coordination ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Critical Path ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
Cancer Specialist

84 Background: To improve coordination of cancer care between cancer specialist hospitals and primary care providers (PCPs), the Japanese government accredited cancer specialist hospitals, so called “designated cancer care hospitals (DCCHs)” and introduced “Cancer care coordination instruction fee” which PCPs can receive if they share a cancer critical path (Japanese version of Survivorship Care Plans) of each cancer patient with DCCHs. We sought to assess the current status of coordination of cancer care in Japan and communication between DCCHs and PCPs from PCPs’ point of view. Methods: A cross-sectional mail survey was administered to randomly selected clinic-based PCPs (4,000 clinics) from a nation-wide database of medical institutions authorized by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Japan to treat patients with health insurance (87,869 clinics). The survey evaluated how much PCPs provided cancer follow-up care and how well DCCHs coordinated care and communicated with PCPs in cancer survivorship. Results: 1,873 PCPs returned the questionnaire (response rate: 46.8%). 1,223 (65.3%) answered to provide cancer follow-up care in outpatient setting. Most of the PCPs which provided cancer follow-up care evaluated the care coordination and support by DCCHs were satisfactory (946, 77.4%) but the degree of good evaluation varied by region (highest: 91.3%, lowest: 45.8%). In regression analysis, provision of palliative care by PCPs (OR 1.52 95%CI 1.05-2.17) and use of cancer critical path (OR 2.10 95%CI 1.63-2.71) were significantly correlated with better evaluation of communication and care coordination. Conclusions: DCCHs communicated well with PCPs and PCPs were satisfied with the communication and care coordination by DCCHs. Provision of palliative care by PCPs and use of cancer critical path are likely to lead good care coordination in cancer care.

scholarly journals Preferences for Physician Roles in Follow-up Care During Survivorship: Do Patients, Primary Care Providers, and Oncologists Agree?

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Archana Radhakrishnan ◽  
M. Chandler McLeod ◽  
Ann S. Hamilton ◽  
Kevin C. Ward ◽  
Steven J. Katz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
Physician Roles

The use of electronic health record systems to create treatment summaries and survivorship care plans.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 56-56
Author(s):  
Katherine Ramsey Gilmore ◽  
David K Choi ◽  
Patricia Chapman ◽  
Paula A. Lewis-Patterson ◽  
Guadalupe R. Palos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Survivorship Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Treatment Summaries ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Patient Level ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
Electronic Health

56 Background: The Commission on Cancer’s recent mandate stated that accredited programs issue treatment summaries (TSs) with survivorship follow-up care plans (SCPs). ASCO’s model of survivorship care also supports the use of these documents. One of the primary purposes of the documents is to enhance coordination and communication between the oncology team and primary care providers. Here we describe the experience of a survivorship program in using electronic health records (EHR) to develop TSs and SCPs. Methods: An interdisciplinary team at an academic cancer center was appointed to develop clinical tools to facilitate the creation and dissemination of TSs and SCPs. Enhancements were made to an institutional off-the-shelf EHR system that automatically populated available treatment information to the TS. This system used SmartLinks to pull data from the primary source of entry (e.g. surgical history, chemotherapy administered, and cancer stage). Clinicians edited and added pertinent information not automatically generated using one of the 19 disease-specific templates that provided lists of common treatments for various cancers. Electronic routing functions existed to share TSs with external providers through the medical records department. Results: From March-Sept, 2016, 766 SCP were completed by 50 providers in 14 clinics. Reports were created in the EHR to track SCPs and TS metrics. Data was reported from the TS on both a patient level and aggregate level by provider and clinic. Patient level data allowed providers to track incomplete TSs and edit them directly from the report. Of the TSs completed, 528 (69%) have been shared with patients and 261 (34%) have been shared with their community-based providers. Conclusions: EHRs provide a mechanism to successfully create and share TSs and SCPs among team members and primary care providers. They promote patient-provider education and communication about follow-up care. Research is needed to determine how they enhance coordination and ultimately outcomes for long-term survivors.

scholarly journals Eliciting Preferences of Providers in Primary Care Settings for Post Hospital Discharge Patient Follow-Up

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8317
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Kuimeng Song ◽  
Lijin Chen ◽  
Yixiang Huang ◽  
Stephen Birch
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Hospital Discharge ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Primary Care Settings ◽  
Follow Up Care

Background: Post-hospital discharge follow-up has been a principal intervention in addressing gaps in care pathways. However, evidence about the willingness of primary care providers to deliver post-discharge follow-up care is lacking. This study aims to assess primary care providers’ preferences for delivering post-discharge follow-up care for patients with chronic diseases. Methods: An online questionnaire survey of 623 primary care providers who work in a hospital group of southeast China. Face-to-face interviews with 16 of the participants. A discrete choice experiment was developed to elicit preferences of primary care providers for post-hospital discharge patient follow-up based on six attributes: team composition, workload, visit pattern, adherence of patients, incentive mechanism, and payment. A conditional logit model was used to estimate preferences, willingness-to-pay was modelled, a covariate-adjusted analysis was conducted to identify characteristics related to preferences, 16 interviews were conducted to explore reasons for participants’ choices. Results: 623 participants completed the discrete choice experiment (response rate 86.4%, aged 33 years on average, 69.5% female). Composition of the follow-up team and adherence of patients were the attributes of greatest relative importance with workload and incentives being less important. Participants were indifferent to follow-up provided by home visit or as an outpatient visit. Conclusion: Primary care providers placed the most importance on the multidisciplinary composition of the follow-up team. The preference heterogeneity observed among primary care providers suggests personalized management is important in the multidisciplinary teams, especially for those providers with relatively low educational attainment and less work experience. Future research and policies should work towards innovations to improve patients’ engagement in primary care settings.

scholarly journals Use of physician services during the survivorship phase: a multi-province study of women diagnosed with breast cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Kendell ◽  
K.M. Decker ◽  
P.A. Groome ◽  
M.L. McBride ◽  
L. Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
The Mean

Introduction Oncologists have traditionally been responsible for providing routine follow-up care for cancer survivors; in recent years, however, primary care providers (pcps) are taking a greater role in care during the follow-up period. In the present study, we used a longitudinal multi-province retrospective cohort study to examine how primary care and specialist care intersect in the delivery of breast cancer follow-up care.Methods Various databases (registry, clinical, and administrative) were linked in each of four provinces: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Population-based cohorts of breast cancer survivors were identified in each province. Physician visits were identified using billings or claims data and were classified as visits to primary care (total, breast cancer–specific, and other), oncology (medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgery), and other specialties. The mean numbers of visits by physician type and specialty, or by combinations thereof, were examined. The mean numbers of visits for each follow-up year were also examined by physician type.Results The results showed that many women (>64%) in each province received care from both primary care and oncology providers during the follow-up period. The mean number of breast cancer–specific visits to primary care and visits to oncology declined with each follow-up year. Interprovincial variations were observed, with greater surgeon follow-up in Nova Scotia and greater primary care follow-up in British Columbia. Provincial differences could reflect variations in policies and recommendations, relevant initiatives, and resources or infrastructure to support pcp-led follow-up care.Conclusions Optimizing the role of pcps in breast cancer follow-up care might require strategies to change attitudes about pcp-led follow-up and to better support pcps in providing survivorship care.

Utilization of a psychiatric clinical pharmacist in an integrated behavioral health program of a community health center

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 287-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Silvia
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Collaborative Practice Agreement ◽  
Follow Up Care

Treatment of mental illnesses has slowly shifted to primary care settings over the past decade. As more patients are identified as needing treatment for a mental illness, the availability of behavioral health (BH) practitioners has become more strained, leading to this shift towards primary care treatment. With more patients receiving psychiatric health care from their primary care providers (PCP), a need for dedicated BH practitioners within the primary care setting was developed. This article describes a novel program where a clinical psychiatric pharmacist is utilized as the primary psychiatric provider within an integrated BH program of a busy primary care clinic in a major metropolitan area. Working under a collaborative practice agreement to prescribe, the pharmacist acts as the initial BH contact for the clinic, as well as a liaison between primary care and BH. Patients referred to the pharmacist from primary care are then evaluated and appropriate medication prescribed for their illness. Most patients are followed prospectively by the pharmacist, with more complex patients (i.e., those not appropriate for primary care-based BH treatment) referred to the BH clinic for follow-up care. The pharmacist serves on the intake committee for the BH clinic, and facilitates patient referrals to their clinicians. Preliminary analysis of the program's effectiveness shows positive results. Within the first two months of the program, 28 patients were referred to the pharmacist (including five referred by BH clinic therapists through primary care). Most patients were referred for depression or anxiety, with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and psychosis also being treated. As such, antidepressants and anxiolytics were the most common agents prescribed, but most every class of psychotherapeutic agents was utilized. Patient wait times to meet with the pharmacist were generally less than a week, with exceptions being found for patients already being prescribed a psychotherapeutic agent by their PCP and being referred to the pharmacist for follow-up care, or for patients being referred by their existing therapist. Initial reviews of the program by patients, primary care staff, and BH staff have been positive, especially in regards to patient access to specialized BH services.

An evaluation of the breast cancer Well Follow-up Care Initiative using administrative databases: A new model of analysis.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (8_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Nicole Mittmann ◽  
Craig Earle ◽  
Hasmik Beglaryan ◽  
Ning Liu ◽  
Julie Gilbert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Administrative Databases ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
System Resources

1 Background: Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) implemented the Well Follow-up Care Initiative (WFCI) to transition low-risk breast cancer (BC) survivors from oncologist to primary care providers. The objective of this work was to compare both the health system resources utilized and their associated costs, among women in the WFCI (cases) and women who were not transitioned (controls). Methods: Cases were linked to provincial administrative databases and matched to a control group based on year of diagnosis, cancer stage, age, comorbidity, income, geographic area of residence, and prior health system use. Health system resource utilization (physician, hospitalization, diagnostics, medication, and homecare) was ascertained per group. The annual mean and median costs (CAD 2014) per patient were determined. Annualized incremental costs between cases and controls were estimated using generalized estimating equations, accounting for matched pairs. Results: Results are based on 2,324 cases and 2,324 controls (mean age 64.4 and 64.9 years, respectively). During an average of 2.5 years of follow-up since the transition date, there were significant differences between the two groups for mean annual visits per patient with a medical oncologist (0.4 vs. 1.3, p<0.001) and radiation oncologist (0.2 vs. 0.4, p<0.001). There was no significant difference in mean annual family physician visits per patient (7.4 vs. 7.9, p=0.082). The intervention group had fewer inpatient hospitalizations (75.6% vs. 79.9%) and cancer clinic visits (84.9% vs. 94.0%). While there was a higher number of mammograms for cases compared to controls, other diagnostic tests (bone scan, CT, MRI, ultrasound, and x-rays) were done less frequently. The model was associated with a 39.3% reduction in mean annual costs ($6,575 among cases and $10,832 among controls) and a 22.1% reduction in median annual costs ($2,261 among cases and $2,903 among controls). Conclusions: Transitioning BC survivors to primary care was associated with fewer health system resources and had a lower annual mean cost per patient than women who were not transitioned.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a multidisciplinary lipid clinic to improve the care of individuals with severe lipid conditions: a RE-AIM framework analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laney K. Jones ◽  
Megan McMinn ◽  
David Kann ◽  
Michael Lesko ◽  
Amy C. Sturm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Program Effectiveness ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Lipid Levels ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Lipid Clinic ◽  
Adherence Counseling ◽  
Clinically Significant

Abstract Background Individuals with complex dyslipidemia, or those with medication intolerance, are often difficult to manage in primary care. They require the additional attention, expertise, and adherence counseling that occurs in multidisciplinary lipid clinics (MDLCs). We conducted a program evaluation of the first year of a newly implemented MDLC utilizing the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework to provide empirical data not only on program effectiveness, but also on components important to local sustainability and future generalizability. Methods The purpose of the MDLC is to increase the uptake of guideline-based care for lipid conditions. Established in 2019, the MDLC provides care via a centralized clinic location within the healthcare system. Primary care providers and cardiologists were invited to refer individuals with lipid conditions. Using a pre/post-study design, we evaluated the implementation outcomes from the MDLC using the RE-AIM framework. Results In 2019, 420 referrals were made to the MDLC (reach). Referrals were made by 19% (148) of the 796 active cardiology and primary care providers, with an average of 35 patient referrals per month in 2019 (SD 12) (adoption). The MDLC saw 83 patients in 2019 (reach). Additionally, 50% (41/82) had at least one follow-up MDLC visit, and 12% (10/82) had two or more follow-up visits in 2019 (implementation). In patients seen by the MDLC, we found an improved diagnosis of specific lipid conditions (FH (familial hypercholesterolemia), hypertriglyceridemia, and dyslipidemia), increased prescribing of evidence-based therapies, high rates of medication prior authorization approvals, and significant reductions in lipid levels by lipid condition subgroup (effectiveness). Over time, the operations team decided to transition from in-person follow-up to telehealth appointments to increase capacity and sustain the clinic (maintenance). Conclusions Despite limited reach and adoption of the MDLC, we found a large intervention effect that included improved diagnosis, increased prescribing of guideline-recommended treatments, and clinically significant reduction of lipid levels. Attention to factors including solutions to decrease the large burden of unseen referrals, discussion of the appropriate number and duration of visits, and sustainability of the clinic model could aid in enhancing the success of the MDLC and improving outcomes for more patients throughout the system.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Cancer Survivors in Nova Scotia, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-25
Author(s):  
Soleil Chahine ◽  
Gordon Walsh ◽  
Robin Urquhart
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Patient Navigator ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Follow Up Care

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the psychosocial needs of cancer survivors and examine whether sociodemographic factors and health care providers accessed are associated with needs being met. Methods: All Nova Scotia survivors meeting specific inclusion and exclusion criteria are identified from the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry and sent an 83-item survey to assess psychosocial concerns and whether and how their needs were met. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages) and Chi-square analyses are used to examine associations between sociodemographic and provider factors and outcomes. Results: Anxiety and fear of recurrence, depression, and changes in sexual intimacy are major areas of concern for survivors. Various sociodemographic factors, such as immigration status, education, employment, and internet use, are associated with reported psychosocial health and having one’s needs met. Having both a specialist and primary care provider in charge of follow-up care is associated with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher degree of psychosocial and informational needs met compared to only one physician or no follow-up physician in charge. Accessing a patient navigator also is significantly associated with a higher degree of needs met. Conclusions: Our study identifies the most prevalent psychosocial needs of cancer survivors and the factors associated with having a higher degree of needs met, including certain sociodemographic factors, follow-up care by both a primary care practitioner and specialist, and accessing a patient navigator.

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