Session Description: 

This is an 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 regards to treatment options.

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

9) Increase enrollment in research studies.

10) Create a unique 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)

Learning Objectives- After Attending this Activity, Learners Should be Able to:

1) Verbalize, discuss, and implement a treatment plan that incorporates a holistic approach to care for patients with complex presentations of hematologic malignancies.

2) Apply evidence-based use of diagnostic studies, systemic, and integrative medicine approaches in the treatment of hematologic malignancies.

3) Advise and educate patients, their caregivers and clinicians of the role of interdisciplinary assessment and care in the management of hematologic malignancies.

4) Demonstrate shared decision making, through advising and education of patients and their caregivers about treatment toxicities, their potential impact on quality of life and expected clinical outcomes of various treatment approaches.

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

• 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.
• 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.

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

Oleg Krijanovski, planner and faculty for this series, receives speaker fees from Incyte (re: Jakafi) and CTI BioPharm (re: Pacritinib). These potentially relevant ineligible relationships were mitigated via by a Speaker Attestation agreement that all recommendations will be well-balanced, evidence-based, and adhere to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.

Elias Kiwan, planner and faculty for this series, received speaker fees from Astra Zeneca. This relevant ineligible relationship ended 8/16/23.

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, PhD(c), MSL, RN, NPD-BC