On November 13th, Eon hosted 28 clients for a virtual Peer Collaborative focused on lung cancer outreach. The session was co-moderated by Amie Miller from Sarasota Memorial Health System, who shared the successes and challenges her program has faced - even as it grew annual screening volumes by 26% from 2022 to 2023.
Despite national progress in the 5-year survival rate for lung cancer, leaders reported dealing with persistent challenges around physician buy-in, stigma, and patient education that contribute to the low up-take of lung cancer screening. A cross-cutting theme from the various conversations was the need for targeted outreach to meet specific sub-populations where they are. Below are three strategies attendees shared to increase screening uptake in key demographics.
Hardwire partnerships with those serving underserved communities
One organization shared that they had run an analysis which showed that many of the patients at highest risk for lung cancer also received care at the state's health department. This organization formalized a referral pathway from the health department to their lung program where the health system team handled everything from that point onward. This partnership has not only turbocharged volumes, but it brought to light non-clinical barriers to patient access that the health system has now built into their program.
Capitalize on the awareness around mammography
Mammography remains the gold standard in terms of screening adoption, and organizations shared strategies beyond Pink and Pearl events to educate these patients:
- One organization shared that they are updating their mammography intake form with a simple yes/no response field for smoking history. The lung team then reaches out to patients who say yes to determine their eligibility for lung cancer screening.
- A second organization shared that they travel with their mobile mammography bus into the community and schedule any patients in the area for any eligible cancer screening. This organization also has a grant from their foundation that allows them to provide $25 in grocery gift cards to patients who follow-through with the scheduled appointment.
Understand what convenience means for your referring physicians
Physician buy-in was a challenge brought up in every breakout discussion and a few organizations shared how they’re making it convenient for referring physicians.
- One organization found that convenience for its referring physicians was to place all referrals via the core members of the tumor board. All IPN referrals are placed via their pulmonologists and all screenings via the cardiothoracic surgeons who serve as their medical directors.
- Another organization found that convenience meant the opposite. The nurses for the lung program place the orders as if they are the specific physician’s staff so that it goes through the physician’s preferred workflow for referral and prior authorization.
These takeaways are merely a glimpse into the strategies shared on the first Peer Collaborative. Throughout the call, participants continued to stress the importance of a holistic approach to early detection that doesn't solely rely on screening. Early detection - and the work done by Amie and the other participants - is vital to reducing the impact of lung cancer on individuals, families, and communities. Collaboration is just one of many ways that we can continue to #defydisease. Amie was able to accept Eon’s Excellence in Early Detection Award in-person as recognition for the great work she and her colleagues have done to create stage shift in their community.
While this session was exclusive to Eon partners, our webinars are designed to foster information sharing and innovation among healthcare leaders who are driving stage shift and improving patient outcomes. If you found these strategies for increasing lung cancer screening uptake valuable, explore our full lineup of webinars to discover more actionable insights and success stories from peers tackling similar challenges.
