Partnership of academic centers and community hospitals effective model for disseminatin...( CHICAGO -- A quality-control audit o...),Health

CHICAGO -- A quality-control audit of community hospitals associated with Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia suggests that a partnership between a major academic cancer center, where most new treatment protocols are created, and community hospitals, where most care is provided, is a highly effective model for quickly and effectively disseminating advances in cancer treatment.

Fox Chase, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Philadelphia, first established its network of 26 select hospitals in 1986. The Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners program is based on a strong foundation of cancer research and education in the community. A strong feature of the program is the access Partner hospitals have to the most advanced cancer treatment guidelines developed by Fox Chase and other member institutions of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).

"When research leads to significant changes in treatment, it can take years before community oncologists are able to fully adopt the new guidelines. What's unique about the Partners program is the timely translation of advances," said Margaret O'Grady, R.N., M.S.N., O.C.N., Director of Care Management and Clinical Operations of Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners. "The audit we conducted shows that our Partner physicians are highly compliant in incorporating recent advances in cancer treatment."

O'Grady and her team reviewed the medical charts of 124 patients at least 65 years or older treated for stage III colon cancer at Partner hospitals between 2003 and 2006. They checked for documentation compliance regarding recent advancements in the treatment of colon cancer according to treatment guidelines published by the NCCN. Specifically, the advances included increased awareness of obtaining a minimum of 12 lymph nodes at surgery, and the addition of oxaliplatin to adjuvant chemotherapy.

Compliance with NCCN guidelines for documentation was high: staging (98 percent
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