Testing an Optimal Model of Patient-Centered Cancer Care

Overall Goal:

Our primary goal is to assess the impact on quality of life, quality of care, and other outcomes of two programs designed to support patients newly diagnosed with breast, colorectal, and lung cancer patients. The Oncology Nurse Care Management (ONCM) and Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) interventions will be implemented and evaluated among enrollees of Group Health.

Specific Aims:

A.1. To develop a robust early cancer notification system based on automated data to facilitate intervention shortly after cancer diagnosis.

A.2. To implement an Oncology Nurse Care Management program that addresses patient questions, symptoms, psychosocial needs, and facilitates timely, coordinated care.

A.3. To compare the impact of the Oncology Nurse Care Manager Program with Enhanced Usual Care in Group Health cancer patients using a randomized clinical trial design. Our two primary outcomes are quality of life and patients' perspectives of quality of care. As secondary outcomes, we will evaluate the impact of the intervention on psychosocial distress and depression.

Inclusion criteria

• On the panel of an eligible and consenting primary care physician;
• Diagnosed with a new occurrence of breast (females only) , colorectal, or lung cancer within the past three weeks;
• Age 18 or older; and
• Able to complete the baseline questionnaire.

Exclusion criteria

• They plan to disenroll from GH or be out of the area in the coming year; or
• Primary care physician or specialty physician expects survival to be less than 12 months; or
• Don't speak English; or
• Have moderate cognitive impairment (a score of 3 or more on a six-item validated instrument, or psychosis as assessed by ICD-9 codes from GH medical record data.