Standardizing patient-centered care. Improving access to rural care. Developing standard data elements for electronic health records.

These are just some of the initiatives ASCO is leading that support the National Cancer Plan, President Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, and CEO Clifford A. Hudis, MD, told the President’s Cancer Panel during a Sept. 7 public meeting. The virtual event featured some of the nation’s largest cancer-related organizations that each shared ways they are working to achieve the plan’s goals.

During her presentation, Dr. Schuchter highlighted these three ASCO programs:

• ASCO Certified. The new program certifies outpatient practices and health systems that meet a single set of evidence-based oncology medical home standards to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.
• Rural Cancer Care Access Demonstration Project in Montana. The project seeks to address the challenges of delivering care in small community hospitals, including a relative lack of infrastructure, workforce, and finances.
• mCODE™ (Minimal Common Oncology Data Elements) Project. A multistakeholder effort to develop and implement standard data elements for all oncology medical records.

"It was an honor to represent ASCO at the President Cancer Panel's event," Dr. Schuchter said. "Sharing how the Society is working to achieve the goals of the National Cancer Plan and learning how the oncology community is collaborating on this endeavor was inspiring. I’m confident the cumulative results of this effort and the plan overall will improve patient care, reduce cancer mortality, and accelerate research.”

ASCO’s presentation was well received by the three-member panel, which comprised Chair Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, Deputy Director, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins; Mitchel S. Berger, MD, Director, Brain Tumor Center at UCSF; and Carol L. Brown, MD, Nicholls-Biondi Chair for Health Equity at Memorial Sloan Kettering.  

The National Cancer Plan, which launched in April 2023, outlines eight goals that encompass the entire cancer continuum from prevention and early detection through improved treatments, greater access to clinical trials, and better overall care delivery. It also prioritizes eliminating health disparities and diversifying the cancer care workforce.

Learn more about ASCO’s participation in the event here.