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Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs
Survey national organizations (e.g., America’s Health Insurance Plans, the National Business Group on Health) about their awareness of and/or advocacy activities related to the recommendations in this report and the initiation of appropriate reimbursement strategies/activities.
Monitor and document the emergence of performance reward initiatives (e.g., RFP content on psychosocial care, pay-for-performance that specifically includes incentives for psychosocial care).
Evaluate health plan contracts and state insurance policies for coverage, copayments, and carve-outs for psychosocial services.
Assess coverage for psychosocial services for Medicare beneficiaries.
For the committee’s recommendation on quality oversight (see Chapter 6), DHHS could
Examine the funding portfolios of NIH, CMS, AHRQ, and other public and private sponsors of quality-of-care research to evaluate the funding of quality measurement for psychosocial health care as part of cancer care.
Query organizations that set standards for cancer care (e.g., National Comprehensive Cancer Network, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, Oncology Nursing Society, American Psychosocial Oncology Society) and other standards-setting organizations (e.g., National Quality Forum, National Committee for Quality Assurance, URAC, the Joint Commission) to determine the extent to which they have
created oversight mechanisms used to measure and report on the quality of ambulatory cancer care (including psychosocial health care);
incorporated requirements for identifying and responding to psychosocial health care needs into their protocols, policies, and standards in accordance with the standard of care put forth in this report; and
used performance measures of psychosocial health care in their quality oversight activities.
For the committee’s recommendation on workforce competencies (see Chapter 7), DHHS could
Monitor and report on actions taken by Congress and federal agencies to support and fund the establishment of a Workforce
