MERCY UC DAVIS CANCER CENTER NEWSLETTER. Cancer Center News 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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1 MERCY UC DAVIS CANCER CENTER NEWSLETTER Cancer Center News 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

2 In this issue 02 Letter from the Director 03 Quality Improvement 05 Nursing 06 Cancer Center Supportive Services 07 Programmatic Activity 08 Meet Our Team Letter from the Director As we continue to deliver on our commitment to provide university level care, close to home, Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center (MDCC) experienced sustained growth and success in This annual summary highlights our accomplishments over the course of 2017, as well as provides a guide on the wealth of resources and supportive services we have to offer our patients and their families. In 2017, our Cancer Center saw a 5% increase in patient referrals over last year that led to an expansion of our infusion center by an additional infusion chair in order to meet this growing demand. The year saw us expand our portfolio of Quality Improvement initiatives, monitored through a standardized dashboard, with a key focus on efforts related to enhancing patient education for those on active treatment (details under Quality section). In addition, we began offering on-site Smoking Cessation counseling classes to our patients, as a means to create more awareness in our community around cancer prevention. All of this is made possible thanks to the dedication and commitment of our entire team, comprised of our board-certified physicians, chemotherapy certified nurses, and our nationally certified radiation therapists. Every member of the Cancer care team works closely together to ensure you and your family receives the best possible care. Kanwar Singh Director of the Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center 2 Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Newsletter

3 Quality Improvement (QI) The journey towards ACoS accreditation Parminder Sidhu, M.D. Chairman, Mercy Medical Center Merced Cancer Committee In 2017, we continued to meet our goals related to access, timeliness, and multi-disciplinary consultative cancer conferences, and we also made significant strides on a key initiative enhancing our patient education. The Mercy Medical Center Merced Cancer Committee uses a multi-disciplinary approach to decision making to elevate the quality of cancer care in our community. The Cancer Committee is comprised of physicians and clinical specialties including: Medical/Radiation Oncology, Surgery, Radiology, Pathology, Pharmacy, Nursing, Clinical Research, and Quality. In addition, Cancer Registry, Community Outreach, and Social Services groups also attend. The group meets at least quarterly to ensure cancer program elements are functioning as required by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer - the gold standard in quality cancer care. Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Newsletter 3

4 Opportunity Identified In early 2017, we identified opportunities to make our education efforts more consistent (both in terms of the education materials offered, as well as the process around documentation of the patient education encounter). We set a goal to provide standardized and consistent education to patients to ensure patient safety, as well as increase the number of patients who receive formal education. Changes Made Our nursing team created a comprehensive education binder that includes contact phone numbers for the facility, the treatment plan, the patient s medication list, chemo specific education, side effect management, nutrition, a personalized schedule, lab results, and patient orders/reminders for labs and/or radiology. The nursing team also improved documentation of patient education, using a specific portion of the electronic health record, which led to improved documentation/capture rates. Progress Made Consequently, we were able to increase our patient education efforts by 33% between 2016 and 2017! 4 Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Newsletter

5 Nursing Our partnership with UC Davis Cancer Care Network has assisted us to bring additional resources to promote education activities for our nursing staff. We continue to host monthly nursing meetings, as well as oncology specific quarterly events with education taught by UC Davis advanced oncology nursing. These meetings are hosted here at Mercy Medical Center Merced, and cover a range of topics from symptom management to skills simulation for oncologic emergencies. We held 15 meetings in 2017, with over 50 participants from both outpatient and inpatient nursing staffs. What s new? New Infusion Chairs Earlier in the year, we purchased brand new infusion chairs with power reclining option in order to enhance patient comfort and experience Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Newsletter 5

6 Cancer Center support and services In order to enhance community access to quality oncology care, as well as increase the health and wellness of our community, our program focuses on support services, prevention, screening, early detection, and community education. Through outreach activities, the program enhances prevention strategies with the intent to minimize the number of people diagnosed with cancers. These programs offer information about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle as well as offering literature about the importance of cancer screenings. In addition, support services are designed to meet the psychosocial needs of oncology patients in our community. Prevention and Screening. Our Community Needs Assessment indicated lung cancer as a leading cause of cancer deaths in Merced County. Since smoking has a significant correlation with developing lung cancer, we started offering Smoking Cessation courses on-site in 2017, and continue to do so in Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Newsletter

7 The Community Needs Assessment also indicated an opportunity to enhance awareness around colorectal cancer screenings in Merced County, with lower screening rates compared to state/national averages. Subsequently, we focused on increasing awareness on colorectal cancer screenings by providing basic screening guidelines and education on screenings at 5 separate community outreach events across Merced County in Community Outreach and Education Over 100 people attended the programs offered below: We continue offering Monthly Cancer Support Group facilitated through Spiritual Services, as an opportunity for those who have survived or are battling cancer to share their experience, learn from others, and make new friends. We also offer a variety of other programs in partnership with American Cancer Society (ACS), such as: - Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) - A free workshop that teaches beauty techniques to female cancer patients to help them combat appearance-related side effects of treatment. - Wig Bank - ACS provides cranial prosthesis, head coverings, and discounted mastectomy patient support aids through Tender Loving Care catalog. (28 participants, 28 wigs, 10 hats, 8 scarves, and 1 headband provided) Programmatic Activity Last 12 months NP Consults 486 Follow-ups 3975 Hours of Infusion Delivered 4124 Radiation Treatments 2520 Supportive Services and Patient Navigation Our cancer center utilizes a distress screening tool that consists of a self-administered tool in which our patients rate their distress levels along a scale of Social Services made approximately 40 contacts a month (including recurring issues) in order to help navigate our patients on issues related to mental/emotional support, transportation, financial/disability, home care needs, insurance issues etc. Community News Celebrate A Life Guests enjoy the opportunity to pause, remember, and honor friends and family with a beautiful reflection ceremony, followed by a short, candlelit procession from Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center to the main entrance of Mercy Medical Center. The 2017 Celebrate a Life donations came in at $13,005. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 8) Celebration of Life 2017 Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Newsletter 7

8 3850 G St. Merced CA (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7) Let s Fight Cancer Together - A non-profit organization created by Teresa and Lynn Stinson with the goal of raising awareness and funds for cancer in our community. Proceeds from their annual dinner-dance and silent auction are donated to the Mercy/UC Davis Cancer Center, to benefit the existing transportation program for cancer patients as well as a smoking cessation program. They were able to donate $6,500 in Merced City Firefighter T-shirt - Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness month (Month of October). Proceeds benefit Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center. Their 2017 t-shirt sales totalled $18,205. Meet our team Parminder Sidhu, MD Medical Oncology Board Certified in Internal Medicine; Hospice & Palliative Medicine; and Medical Oncology Doctor of Medicine from Kuban State Medical Academy, Krasnodar Russia Internship and Residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (NY) and Queens Hospital Center (Jamaica) Palliative Medicine Fellowship, Department of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Oncology, Cleveland Medical Clinic Foundation in Ohio Fellowship in Oncology at University of California Irvine Prachi Jain, MD Radiation Oncology Radiation Oncology Board Eligible Medical School - University of Minnesota Medical School Residency at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine Department of Radiation Medicine Fellowship at Radiosurgery at Yale New Haven Hospital Department of Therapeutic Radiology Merced City Firefighter Fundraiser 8 Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Newsletter