The Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, which composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region, were selected to participate in a project with the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) to address disparities in cancer care for vulnerable populations.
The ACCC Optimal Care Coordination Model for Lung Cancer Patients on Medicaid project will work to reduce barriers to care by developing a care coordination model to leverage effective partnerships among cancer programs and practices, community organizations, patients, and primary care and specialty providers. The three-year project is funded by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation.
“ACCC is excited to lead the charge for improved health equity in lung cancer treatment through this project,” said Christian Downs, JD, MHA, executive director of ACCC. “This initiative will harness the ACCC membership’s commitment to health equity and unmatched expertise in treating cancer at the community level to develop a care coordination model to streamline access to care and resources for this vulnerable population.”
As evidenced in an Environmental Scan conducted by ACCC, patients with lung cancer covered by Medicaid have poorer outcomes, including higher incidence rates, later stage at diagnosis, and poorer survival rates, even after adjustment for stage of diagnoses. Recent studies by Markt S, et al. and Rong X, et al., published in the journal Cancer further affirm gaps in cancer treatment and worse outcomes among cancer patients on Medicaid and uninsured patients as compared to those with private insurance.
“Obstacles to the full continuum of lung cancer screening, treatment and care, especially for minority and underserved populations, often result in patients receiving a late-stage diagnosis, which dramatically reduces their chances for survival,” says John Damonti, President, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. “We are pleased to support ACCC as it seeks to develop an innovative care model that specifically addresses the obstacles that these patients face in accessing and completing high quality cancer care.”
From a competitive applicant pool, five cancer programs have been selected to participate as Development Sites for the project.
By serving as a Development Site, the Florida Hospital cancer programs in Volusia and Flagler counties will help lay the foundation for development of a care coordination model that will seek to overcome identified social, financial, and institutional barriers to care for this vulnerable patient population. The model will then be tested in the community cancer centers across the country.
“We are so honored to be one of five cancer programs in the nation to be selected to participate in this ACCC program,” said Imee Unto, Florida Hospital East Florida Region cancer services administrator. “Not only is this program important on a national level, but it is important to our patients in Flagler and Volusia counties because the incidence of lung cancer is higher in our local communities, compared to national and state rates. Not only are our incidence rates higher, but the mortality rate is also higher locally.”
For more information on the ACCC Optimal Care Coordination for Lung Cancer Patients on Medicaid project visit the ACCC’s website at accc-cancer.org/carecoordination.
