The Supportive Oncology Collaborative: Expanding upon Collaborative Care to Increase Supportive Care Access in...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Palliative Care
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Access to supportive services in community oncology is crucial, especially for underserved populations.
• Existing models like Collaborative Care can be adapted to integrate behavioral health services.
• Community-based cancer care requires enhanced psychosocial and palliative support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement the Supportive Oncology Collaborative (SOC) model.
• To integrate psychosocial and palliative care within community-based oncology settings.
• To improve access to comprehensive supportive services for diverse cancer patient populations.

Main Methods:

• Developed the SOC model based on Collaborative Care principles.
• Implemented a population-health approach with screening, registry, and shared care.
• Integrated palliative care specialists, social workers, and a consulting psychiatrist.

Main Results:

• The SOC model was implemented in 2020 at a diverse community cancer site.
• Patient encounters increased significantly from 527 in the first year to 2,130 in 2022.
• Screening tools identified high-risk patients for team-based care discussions.

Conclusions:

• The SOC model successfully increased access to integrated psychosocial and palliative care.
• The model demonstrates scalability across regional cancer center campuses.
• This approach has the potential to enhance supportive care in cancer centers nationwide.