Implementing a financial toxicity screening program.

Authors

null

Emeline Mariam Aviki

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, New York University Langone Health Long Island, Mineola, NY

Emeline Mariam Aviki , Amy Caramore , Fumiko Chino , Stefania Sokolowski , Amy L. Tin , Bridgette Thom

Organizations

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, New York University Langone Health Long Island, Mineola, NY, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, School of Social Work, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Research Funding

No funding received

Background: Financial toxicity (FT) is a well-documented negative side effect of cancer treatment. Routine screening can mitigate FT by proactively connecting at-risk patients to resources and counseling. Herein, we describe implementation of a FT screening quality improvement (QI) program. Methods: At a comprehensive cancer center, an interdisciplinary team explored options for implementation, with consideration for screening content, mechanism for delivery, and clinical workflow. Through consensus, the team agreed to use the 12-item COmprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) tool, a health-related social risk checklist, patient-self report of cost-related medication non-adherence, and a visual analog quality of life scale. Surveys were sent via portal every four months to patients on active treatment. The QI project was implemented on the breast, gastrointestinal, gynecologic, and thoracic services. COST scores ≤20 or any endorsed social risk (e.g., food, transportation) yielded a positive screen, and nurses placed a financial counseling referral, with counseling dispositions tracked. In March 2023, due to an influx of “unproductive” counseling dispositions (e.g., patient could not be contacted, patient no longer wanted help), machine learning models suggested reducing the screening threshold to COST scores ≤16 and limiting the social risk checklist to four items (food, transportation, medication, and housing insecurity). Results: From 06/2022-12/2023, 196,675 financial toxicity surveys were assigned to 78,289 unique patients: 38% (n=75,526) were completed by 45,003 patients. Of these, 56% have completed one survey, 26% have completed two surveys, and 18% have completed three or more. Since implementation, 9612 financial counseling referrals have been placed, yielding assistance with insurance selection and applications for assistance with co-payments, non-medical expenses, and out-of-pocket costs. During the QI project, several real-time workflow changes were made. On day 1, 519/1811 patients screened positive, yielding an overflow of counseling referrals: an additional question to allow patients to opt into referral, rather than generating an automatic referral, was then added: the following week, 136 referrals were generated. In September 2022, this opt-in was modified to allow patients to directly identify the areas in which they were seeking assistance (e.g., insurance counseling, out-of-pocket expenses). In 2024, the screening was reduced to two COST questions that had a 0.92 correlation with the full-tool. Conclusions: Routine FT screening is feasible during active treatment, although attention is needed to clinical workflows to ensure patients have access to the screening, nurses and other clinical staff are involved in the implementation, and referrals to resources are available for patients who screen positive. Future work will address cadence of delivery and outcomes of interventions.

Disclaimer

This material on this page is ©2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology, all rights reserved. Licensing available upon request. For more information, please contact licensing@asco.org

Abstract Details

Meeting

2024 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

General Session

Session Title

Health-Related Social Needs: From Screening to Action

Track

Education Track

Sub Track

Prospective Risk Assessment and Reduction

Citation

JCO Oncol Pract 20, 2024 (suppl 10; abstr 275)

DOI

10.1200/OP.2024.20.10_suppl.275

Abstract #

275

Abstract Disclosures

Similar Abstracts

Abstract

2021 ASCO Annual Meeting

Screened social risk factors & screening acceptability among oncology patients in Philadelphia.

First Author: Jessica Davis

Abstract

2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Prevalence of social risks among cancer patients in an integrated health system.

First Author: Garett Ng

First Author: Rebekah SM Angove