Focus on the Care Video: Palliative Care and Living Well with Cancer
Last week we noted two recent articles addressing palliative and end of life care issues, including an article written from the first-hand experience of Amy Berman, who is both a nurse and an individual living with cancer. In Amy Berman's recent post on the Health Affairs Blog, she describes palliative care as the "best ...
WCOE: Amy Berman’s “Less Is More” Approach and End of Life Care
What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) Each week, we take a closer look at the cancer policy articles, studies, and stories that caught our attention. We need compassionate, communicative physicians who can deliver care without feeling like they are abandoning their patients. In the May 22nd Health Affairs online blog, "Living My Life My ...
When Talking About the End of Life, Honesty and Words Matter
I attended two different events in Washington, DC this week where the focus was on end-of-life care and the challenges of ensuring that people have quality care and dignity at the end of their life. First was the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging roundtable meeting entitled, “Continuing the Conversation: The ...
WCOE: Dying with Cancer from Patient and Provider Perspectives
What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) Each week, we take a closer look at the cancer policy articles, studies, and stories that caught our attention. “It seemed that giving more treatment was the only way the oncologist knew to express his care and commitment. To him, stopping treatment was akin to abandoning ...
It Takes a Team – Connecting with Survivors at the Amgen Tour of California
Last week, four members of the NCCS team traveled from our home office outside of DC to join our Breakaway from Cancer partners for eight stages of an outdoor festival at the Amgen Tour of California. Our work with Breakaway from Cancer is an opportunity to get the word out ...
WCOE: Ethics and Discussions about Patient Goals and Preferences, Evidence-Based Medicine
What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) Each week, we take a closer look at the cancer policy articles, studies, and stories that caught our attention. “I must always remind myself that living for the sake of living cannot be the ultimate goal. It has to be informed by quality of life. Only ...
Rep. Lois Capps Speaks on Bill to Improve Cancer Care Planning (Video)
Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) recently spoke about the importance of the Planning Actively for Cancer Treatment (PACT) Act and the need for quality cancer care and care coordination for Medicare beneficiaries. Research has confirmed that coordinated cancer care outlined in a written care plan — care that integrates active treatment ...
Why We Care About Physician Payment
Why should patients care about how physicians are paid? Because the way we as a country, and Medicare as the largest payer, compensate physicians directly affects the care patients receive. Our current system is not sustainable for physicians, patients, or taxpayers. The manner in which Medicare currently reimburses for cancer ...
Journey Forward: How Can We Make Survivorship Care Planning a Reality?
I recently attended the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) Spring Meeting. The CoC membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons, as well as representatives from 52 other member organizations. In 2010, NCCS became one of four patient advocacy organizations to serve as members of the ...
WCOE: Employment Issues, Health Systems, Defining Value in Cancer Care
What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) Each week, we take a closer look at the cancer policy articles, studies, and stories that caught our attention. “Many clinicians believe that although patients may miss work during treatment, they will ‘bounce back’ in the longer term. The results of this study suggest otherwise and ...
