Six hospitals join CoC ProvenCare Lung Cancer Collaborative

Six more hospitals have joined a national pilot study already under way to promote evidence-based evaluation and treatment standards for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with this type of lung cancer are also candidates for an operation called "lung resection."

Known as the Commission on Cancer National Pilot Study for the ProvenCare® Lung Cancer Collaborative, the study is based on the success of the Geisinger Health System's ProvenCare model. This treatment model has been applied to other disease sites where it has significantly increased medical teams' adherence to evidence-based care standards, improved patients' clinical outcomes, and engaged patients as participants in their own care.

The groundbreaking study currently has analyzed data of 500 patients and marks the first time that Geisinger's ProvenCare model has been applied to a patient population undergoing a lung resection procedure for NSCLC. The goal is to capture data of 500 more patients over the next 12 months, thus expanding the study group size to 1,000 patients.

The pilot study—first launched in July 2010 with six Commission on Cancer-accredited institutions—promotes a specific care pathway of 38 standard elements that are followed by interdisciplinary treatment teams for patients' preoperative to postoperative care periods. With the six new participating institutions beginning data collection activities on August 6, the number of hospitals now participating in the collaborative grows to 12. As of April 2012, 90 percent of the 38 elements of care were followed by the initial six pilot sites for each patient entered into the study.

Treatment teams at each participating hospital commit to providing all 38 of the established care pathway steps to ensure that small cell lung cancer patients receive the highest standard of care at their institution. Importantly, patients in the study lend their participation to the process by making a commitment to communicate with the members of their surgical team (that is, when they don't understand something or when asked about current medications); getting their family or loved ones involved in their treatment plan; and completing important care steps outlined to them by their health care providers. Patient engagement is an important element of Geisinger's ProvenCare as research studies have shown that patients have better results when they participate in their own medical care.

The CoC has accredited more than 1,500 cancer treatment centers throughout the United States, which in turn treat 71 percent of all cancer patients diagnosed each year. "We are pleased to expand Geisinger's ProvenCare model in this study to six more institutions. This effort positions health care providers to use 'best practices' in treating patients. And working with health care providers to deliver quality care has long been the cornerstone of the Commission on Cancer," said David P. Winchester, MD, FACS, Medical Director, American College of Surgeons Cancer Programs

The six hospitals joining the CoC ProvenCare Lung Cancer Collaborative are:
•Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA
•Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, OR
•Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett, WA
•Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, MD
•Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY
•UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA