All Oncology Care Practices Urged to ‘Be Counted’ in Groundbreaking Census

The National Oncology Census, sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), represents the first-ever attempt to capture comprehensive, real-time data on the state of oncology practice in the United States.

ASCO is urging all U.S. oncology practices—representing oncologists in private practice and in academic and hospital settings—to be counted in this landmark initiative. “This census is a rare opportunity to understand how oncology is being practiced in this country,” said ASCO President Sandra M. Swain, MD, Medical Director of the Washington Cancer Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “This is an unprecedented effort to gain seminal knowledge of our national cancer care delivery system to help us accurately represent, advocate for, and serve the oncology community.”

The ASCO census, conducted in partnership with the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the State University of New York, will gather information on current practice settings, oncology care specialties and services, patient volume, technology use, and payer mix, including the number of practices serving Medicare patients.

Information on how oncologists are faring in the current economic, legislative, and regulatory environment will also be collected. “It is critically important that we fully understand the impact our demanding health-care landscape is having on cancer patients and the oncologists who serve them,” said Dr. Swain. “Lives depend on it.” The census will examine whether high costs, drug shortages, competitive forces, payer restrictions, and other pressures in oncology practice threaten cancer patients’ access to care.

October 1, 2012, is the deadline to respond to the confidential survey, which takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Each practice has been assigned a username and password, which are needed to access the online survey. Only one individual per practice (whether a private practice or academic/hospital setting) should complete the survey on behalf of the entire practice. To participate in The National Oncology Census:

E-mail workforce@asco.org to receive your practice’s username, password, and direct link to the online census survey. (Include practice site name, address, and e-mail address of practice contact.)

For participants who already have their assigned username and password, visit www.asco.org/census and click on the “Start Census” link. ■