Oncology Medical Home: ASCO and COA Standards

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Services Research
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• The Oncology Medical Home (OMH) model aims to deliver coordinated, efficient, accessible, and evidence-based cancer care.
• Continuous quality improvement is a key component of the OMH model, driven by outcome measurement.
• A pilot certification program is being developed to refine OMH implementation standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish evidence-based and expert-consensus Standards for the Oncology Medical Home (OMH) certification program pilot.
• To inform the ongoing refinement of OMH model implementation strategies.
• To provide a framework for evaluating and improving cancer care delivery.

Main Methods:

• An Expert Panel conducted a systematic literature review of OMH, clinical pathways, and survivorship care plans.
• Literature searches were performed using PubMed and Google Scholar.
• Standards were developed using the evidence base and an informal consensus process, with public comments incorporated.

Main Results:

• Three comparative studies on OMH met inclusion criteria; 16 studies on clinical pathways and one review on survivorship care plans also informed the findings.
• The evidence base for OMH had limitations, including a small number of studies and a lack of long-term outcome data.
• Standards were developed across key areas including patient engagement, access to care, evidence-based medicine, team-based care, quality improvement, goals of care, palliative care, and chemotherapy safety.

Conclusions:

• The Expert Panel recommends practices publish OMH intervention results in peer-reviewed journals to strengthen the evidence base.
• Established Standards cover critical aspects of OMH, guiding implementation and quality improvement.
• Further refinement of OMH Standards is anticipated based on pilot program outcomes and future research.