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ASCO University to Present Team-Based Care in Oncology e-Seminar

Oct 29, 2012

It takes a team of skilled providers to deliver high-quality and effective oncology care. The medical knowledge, technology, care demands, regulations, patient volume, and system navigation can be complex and time-consuming. No one provider can do it alone in a timely fashion while still keeping the patient at the center of care. To help tackle this issue, ASCO University® is hosting an e-Seminar this month, Team-Based Care in Oncology, which will feature perspectives from an oncologist, physician assistant (PA), and nurse practitioner (NP) on the orientation and training of new hires, as well as ways to maximize the effectiveness of the entire team. The e-Seminar will take place November 15, 2012, 5:30 PM–6:30 PM (EST).

The need for highly skilled and high-functioning teams will only become more urgent in the future, as ASCO has estimated an increase in the use of oncology services by as much as 48% by 2020, according to a March 2007 Journal of Oncology Practice article. “One of the best ways to address this demand increase is by incorporating advanced practice providers such as NPs and PAs into the team,” said Kathleen W. Beekman, MD, of Ann Arbor Hematology Oncology Associates, PC, who will serve as the e-Seminar moderator. “Many sites have been doing this successfully for quite some time, but we realize this approach is still new to a large number of community practices.”

Once a practice decides to incorporate advanced practice providers, a common concern is how to do it effectively, economically, legally, and in the best interest of the patient, Dr. Beekman explained. “Our hope is that ASCO can start to provide some of those answers with resources through ASCO University,” she said.

“It is crucial that all members of the team are working at the top of their training,” said Todd Pickard, MMSc, PA-C—Physician Assistant Program Director at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and one of the e-Seminar presenters. Mr. Pickard explained that it is wasteful to have advanced members of the team performing routine tasks, such as telephone prescription refills or screening patient calls, when another member of the team can addresses those tasks instead. “If all members of the team are working at a high level, it reduces the burden on the rest of the team,” he added.

Upcoming e-Seminar specifics

The November Team-Based Care in Oncology e-Seminar will consist of a live 45-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. A capture of the live session will then be catalogued as an online course on ASCO University.

The following resources and content will accompany the e-Seminar capture:

  • Relevant Virtual Meeting sessions
  • References and resources (including links) relating to team function and practice, pre-hire and hiring processes, and regulatory requirements
  • Podcasts on team function and documentation relating to EHRs, team communications, and regulatory requirements

For full details, including registration information, visit university.asco.org.


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