ASCO's Conquer Cancer Foundation Receives Grant from Stavros Niarchos Foundation to Provide Quality Care Improvement to Four Underserved Communities

5/09/2017, Aaron Tallent, Conquer Cancer Foundation, ASCO

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Conquer Cancer Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), has received a grant of nearly half a million dollars from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to enhance the quality of cancer care available in select underserved communities over the next three years. 

ASCO's Quality Training Program and Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) will serve as the foundation for quality improvement and support in four selected communities in Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Worth and New York.  Chosen for their commitment to caring for underserved populations as well as their willingness and commitment to engage in quality improvement, one oncology practice in each of these four communities has been selected to participate in this quality improvement opportunity.  Participation will be supported by the Conquer Cancer Foundation through the Stavros Niarchos Foundation grant.

"ASCO continuously strives to reduce disparities in cancer care and one of the ways we do so is by improving access to high quality care," said ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO. "This support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation will enable ASCO to bring the Quality Training Program, QOPI and its additional quality improvement resources to four oncology practices that would otherwise not have the financial resources to participate in these programs."

As part of the grant, practices will receive an on-site assessment, assistance in identifying achievable improvements, targeted toolkits, and hands-on quality improvement training. They will each partner with a mentor practice that will assist with specific areas of quality improvement. Outcomes of the project will be reported at the ASCO Annual Meeting, the Quality Care Symposium and in the Journal of Oncology Practice. The four participating practices are:

• Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Health System - Atlanta, Georgia
• Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention - New York, N.Y.
• Parkland Health and Hospital System - Dallas, Texas
• JPS Health Network Center for Cancer Care - Fort Worth, Texas 

"Improving the quality of health care services, as well as access to those services, are important elements in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation's health grantmaking efforts," said Roula Siklas, Program Coordinator for Health and Sports at SNF.  "This program addresses both of these issues by supporting clinicians to maximize their resources in order to deliver the best care, and to share those learnings and best practices with the larger community of cancer care providers and ultimately with cancer patients across the nation."

ASCO's Quality Training Program is a structured initiative based in improvement science. This six-month structured education and training program is based on improvement science, focusing on process analysis, rapid cycle improvement, quantitative and qualitative methods, and creating and managing effective teams. 

QOPI is an oncologist-led, practice-based quality assessment program designed to promote excellence in cancer care by helping practices create a culture of self-examination and improvement. QOPI provides a standard methodology, robust library of quality metrics for oncology, and a collection tool to reliably and routinely assess care, inform quality improvement activities, and demonstrate quality to patients and external stakeholders. Early adopters of QOPI are well-positioned to meet external reporting requirements for payers and the government and participate in new payment models focused on quality.

To learn more about QOPI and ASCO's full range of initiatives to improve the quality of cancer care, please go to: http://www.instituteforquality.org/

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About ASCO
Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 40,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, which funds ground-breaking research and programs that make a tangible difference in the lives of people with cancer. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.

About the Conquer Cancer Foundation 
The Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) was created by the world’s foremost cancer doctors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology to seek dramatic advances in the prevention, treatment, and cures of all types of cancer. Toward the vision of a world free from the fear of cancer, CCF works to conquer this disease by funding breakthrough cancer research and sharing cutting-edge knowledge with patients and physicians worldwide and by improving the quality of care and access to care, enhancing the lives of all who are touched by cancer. For more information, visit www.conquercancerfoundation.org.  

About the Stavros Niarchos Foundation 
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org) is one of the world’s leading private international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. The Foundation funds organizations and projects that are expected to achieve a broad, lasting and positive impact for society at large, focusing on vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, and also exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also seeks actively to support projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving public welfare. 

2016 marks the twentieth year of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation's global philanthropic activity. Since 1996, the SNF has made grant commitments of $1.8 billion / €1.5 billion, through 3,316 grants to nonprofit organizations in 111 nations around the world.    

 

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