Cancer center leadership should prepare for ongoing and proactive communications to their providers, staff, patients, and the broader communities they serve.
While every organization is unique and will need to tailor communications to their situation, below are practical strategies that cancer programs can deploy to position themselves for a successful pandemic recovery.
» Educate patients on recent developments related to COVID-19 incidence in their local community and how market changes could impact their cancer treatment options.
» Emphasize the “cancer doesn’t wait” message to patients whose care was interrupted or delayed. Help patients understand that diagnosis and treatment delays can dramatically increase the risk of advanced disease prognosis or unfavorable treatment outcomes.
» Listen to patients’ fears about their disease and concerns about cancer care options in a COVID-19 environment. Alternative treatment pathways are available for select cancer types (e.g., neoadjuvant therapy) and may help course-correct in a way that alleviates patient concerns.
This is part of the COVID-19 oncology response series from ECG Management Consultants. For more information, visit ECG’s website.