NCCN Cancer Center Study Demonstrates Usability of Health Equity Report Card Tool for Driving Fair Access to Care

On October 28, 2024, NCCN presented preliminary data from a study evaluating the usability of the Health Equity Report Card (HERC) tool during the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo.

The HERC was created by the Elevating Cancer Equity collaboration between NCCN, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), and updated by a subsequent working group. It features 19 practice evaluation and change recommendations designed to help providers and health care organizations identify and address disparity and bias in care delivery, address social determinants of health, and overcome systemic barriers to optimal care.

All 19 HERC recommendations can be found at NCCN.org/HERC. The study abstract is available at APHA’s website at https://apha.confex.com/apha/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/549912.

“Studies clearly show that unequal experiences and opportunities in cancer care result in worse outcomes and shorter life expectancies for people in underserved communities,” stated Taneal D. Carter, MS, MPA, Manager, NCCN Cancer Care Equity Program. “The HERC was initially designed as an objective approach to increase equity in cancer care through attainable and measurable change. This initial pilot study data illustrates just how attainable these goals really are. We are proud to announce that every participating site reported HERC implementation would either inform or reinforce necessary changes in institutional practices and processes.”

The HERC measures care systems’ equitable practices across 4 domains:

• • Community Engagement

• • Accessibility of Care and Social Determinants of Health

• • Addressing Bias in Care Delivery

• • Quality and Comprehensiveness of Care

The pilot study focused on gathering feedback from 5 leading academic cancer centers to gauge the feasibility and usability of the HERC tool. Preimplementation surveys showed that 3 of the 5 cancer centers anticipated challenges in implementing the tool, but all 5 centers successfully completed a first round of self-scoring and third-party scoring across all domains. Every site strongly agreed or agreed that HERC performance measures, metrics, and sources of evidence were applicable to their institution.

“These preliminary findings demonstrate the HERC’s usability and underscore its potential as a transformative tool for measuring and improving equity in cancer care,” said Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “We are happy to be able to share this initial data, showcasing how participating sites found the HERC’s performance measures to be relevant to their institutions. We look forward to additional analysis of the data and ongoing feedback to further improve the utility of this tool.”

An article with full results following the first round of scoring—including a subsequent score and improved scorecard—will be published in the coming months. Additional evaluation is underway into the HERC’s scoring, feedback mechanisms, and impact on cancer care, including a separate pilot project conducted in the community cancer center setting.

The HERC pilot program at academic cancer centers is made possible through support from AbbVie Inc.; 2seventy bio; Genentech, Inc.; Lilly; and Sanofi Genzyme. The HERC Community Project is part of the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care, made possible through support from the Merck Foundation. It is also supported by contributions from Bristol Myers Squibb; GlaxoSmithKline LLC; Lilly; and Pfizer Inc.

Visit NCCN.org/equity to learn more about NCCN’s ongoing work to improve equity in cancer care.

NCCN Commits to Sharing Award-Winning Resources for People With Cancer in Spanish and Other Languages

NCCN and the NCCN Foundation have announced plans to make every book in the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients available in Spanish, with select editions available in additional languages as well.

NCCN publishes the NCCN Guidelines for Patients library through funding from the NCCN Foundation. It now features >70 books with easy-to-understand information about prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care for nearly every type of cancer. The patient guidelines are based on the continuously updated, evidence-based, expert consensus-driven recommendations from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines), which are used by health care providers worldwide. They have been recognized with numerous awards as a trustworthy and user-friendly source of information for people with cancer.

The NCCN Guidelines for Patients are available to view or download for free online at NCCN.org/patientguidelines or via the NCCN Patient Guides for Cancer App. Non-English editions can also be found at NCCN.org/global. Printed books are available for a nominal fee via Amazon.

“Our commitment to making sure every patient guideline is available in Spanish showcases our dedication to ensuring everyone can access high-quality cancer care resources,” said Gena Cook, Founder & CEO, Kaliper Health, Chair, NCCN Foundation Board of Directors. “Our work is already well underway, with at least 20 books available in Spanish right now, and more to come. We have a list of additional high-priority languages based on global population representation. We want to make sure this vital information is understandable for everyone who needs it worldwide, including non-English speakers with cancer within the United States.”

All translations are completed by interpreters who specialize in medical texts and understand the nuances of health care information. In addition to Spanish, there are currently NCCN Guidelines for Patients available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian, Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

“The NCCN Guidelines for Patients were accessed >1.4 million times last year, with approximately a fifth of those users located outside the United States,” said Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “We always strive to improve how we deliver crucial health guidance and expand the reach for any resources that can help us improve and facilitate quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care worldwide.”

Patrick Delaney, Executive Director, NCCN Foundation, added: “The NCCN Foundation is fortunated to be able to collaborate with a diverse group of international organizations who recognize the need for equitable access to cancer patient information. We are incredibly grateful for the philanthropic support that makes it possible for us to offer these essential resources free-of-charge for all who need them.”

The NCCN website also features several resources for people facing cancer and caregivers, including live and recorded webinars, suggested questions to ask health care providers, links to advocacy and support groups, and much more. Visit NCCN.org/patients to learn more or go to NCCNFoundation.org to help support the mission.