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Exploring the Health Equity Report Card’s Impact on Cancer Care
This week, during the Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Public Health Association (APHA), preliminary findings related to the usability of the Health Equity Report Card (HERC) tool are being showcased by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®).
Origin and Goals of HERC
The HERC was developed through a partnership among NCCN, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) as part of their Elevating Cancer Equity initiative. An updated working group has refined this tool, which comprises 19 recommendations aimed at evaluating practices and driving necessary changes. These recommendations assist healthcare providers in recognizing and addressing disparities in care delivery, tackling social determinants affecting health outcomes, and dismantling systemic barriers to quality care.
Information about all 19 recommendations can be accessed at NCCN.org/HERC. Additionally, participants interested in detailed study insights can find an abstract on APHA’s official website: https://apha.confex.com/apha/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/549912.
The Significance of Addressing Disparities
Taneal D. Carter, MS, MPA, Manager of NCCN’s Cancer Care Equity Program emphasized that “research consistently indicates that inequitable access to cancer treatment leads to poorer health outcomes and reduced life expectancy among underserved populations.” She explained that HERC was created as a structured method to foster equity within cancer care through actionable goals that are measurable. The early data from this pilot study reveals how feasible these objectives truly are. We take pride in sharing that every site involved reported that implementing HERC would either guide or solidify essential adjustments in their institutional practices.
Measuring Nuanced Engagement Across Key Areas
The Health Equity Report Card evaluates healthcare systems on equitable practices across four critical dimensions:
- Community Involvement
- Access to Care & Social Determinants Influencing Health
- Bias Mitigation in Treatment Delivery
- Quality and All-Inclusive Nature of Care Provided
Pilot Study Insights: Overcoming Challenges Together
This initial pilot project concentrated on collecting feedback from five premier academic cancer centers to assess how user-friendly the HERC tool is. Surveys conducted before implementation revealed that three out of these five institutions expected hurdles while utilizing it; however, all centers accomplished an initial round of both self-assessment and external scoring across all evaluated areas successfully. Consistently across these sites, there was strong consensus regarding the relevance of HERC performance metrics with their respective organizations.
Catalyzing Change Through Practical Tools
The early findings reinforce HERC’s potential as a groundbreaking instrument for assessing equity within cancer treatment landscapes. We are excited about publishing this foundational data highlighting how relevant participating institutions found its measures for their specific settings; we eagerly anticipate further analysis which will enhance this tool’s effectiveness,” stated Crystal S. Denlinger, MD - Chief Executive Officer at NCCN.
A Glimpse into Future Research
An article detailing complete results following this first round—complete with subsequent scores—is expected for publication shortly. Ongoing evaluations concerning HERC’s utility—including its feedback framework—are underway alongside a distinct pilot initiative designed for community-based cancer centers.
Sponsorships Supporting Progress
The pilot program at leading academic cancer facilities received funding from AbbVie Inc., 2seventy bio; Genentech Inc.; Lilly; and Sanofi Genzyme contributions support pillars essential for effective practice redesigns dedicated towards elevating equity standards in oncology care strategies.
Source:
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
