Series Description:

Interdisciplinary work group to determine the plan of care for patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies. Goals include:

1) Decrease the time from patient presentation and diagnosis to initiation of therapy.

2) Improve communication amongst the interdisciplinary team, leading to decreased care fragmentation, decreased errors and a decrease in duplicate tests, and clarified treatment plan.

3) Decrease treatment variability between physicians, ensuring application of evidence-based clinical practice.

4) Increase patient satisfaction through fewer visits and consistent communication.

5) Enable clinicians to focus on multiple aspects of a patients care (socio-economical, emotional, nutrition, etc.).

6) Apply NCCN guidelines to principles of cancer risk assessment, genetic counseling and testing in the patient population.

7) Ensure a comprehensive, holistic approach to patient care, considering patient wishes in regard to treatment options.

8) Foster the setting wherein complex treatment plans can be created and sustained.

9) Increase enrollment in research studies.

10) Create an educational experience for involved physicians by offering 10-15 min education on a relevant topic to management of malignancies.

11) Improve patient outcomes.

Target Audience: 

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Nurse, Registered (RN)

Pharmacists (PharmD)

Physicians (MD or DO)

Physician Assistant (PA)

Other Healthcare Professionals

Learning Objectives - After Attending This Activity Learners Should Be Able To:

1. Evaluate and discuss recommended options in order to implement a treatment plan that incorporates a holistic approach to care for patients with complex presentations of hematologic malignancies.
2. Analyze and discuss evidence-based use of diagnostic studies, systemic, and integrative medicine approaches in the treatment of hematologic malignancies in order to promote optimal patient outcomes.
3. Appropriately advise and educate patients, their caregivers, and clinicians of the role of the interdisciplinary assessment in the care and management of hematologic malignancies.
4.  Assess for and mitigate treatment toxicities in order to advise and educate patients and their caregivers on the potential impact to quality of life and expected clinical outcomes.

Culturally Appropriate Care which is Free of Implicit Biases (AB 1195 & 241):

1. Zettler ME, Feinberg BA, Jeune-Smith Y, Gajra A. Impact of social determinants of health on cancer care: a survey of community oncologists. BMJ Open. 2021;11(10):e049259. Published 2021 Oct 6. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049259. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34615676/
2. Tsai JW, Kesselheim JC. Addressing implicit bias in pediatric hematology-oncology. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2020 May;67(5):e28204. doi: 10.1002/pbc.28204. Epub 2020 Mar 11. PMID: 32159300. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32159300/

Disclosure of Financial or In-Kind Commercial Support & Conflict of Interest

Rajesh Behl, faculty for this series, receives honorarium from Bristol Myers Squibb, Millennium, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, ADT Pharmaceuticals, and Karyopharm for his role as a speaker as well as research grant funding from Astra Zeneca. Additionally, Oleg Krijanovski, faculty for this series, receives honorarium from Incyte for his role as s speaker. These relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies was mitigated via a signed attestation of a commitment to only promoting evidence-based recommendations. Further, these faculty members will be in consultation with Elias Kiwan, another faculty for this series, who does not have any ineligible financial relationships.

No one else involved in the planning or presentation of this educational activity have any relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. No financial or in-kind commercial support was received to produce or promote this educational activity. 

 – Provider Designee/Verification:  Kerri Maya, MSL, RN