The need for high quality cancer care in the United States is ever increasing, but the system is in distress. An aging population will increase demand for services at a at time when rising costs, uneven accessibility, anticipated workforce shortages and a lack of evidence based cancer care delivery solutions have put the system into crisis. This was the conclusion of an Institute of Medicine (lOM) committee report which recently published a number of recommendations in Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis, Washington DC, National Academies Press, 2013. The important role for clinical trials especially in the area of comparative effectiveness research, an the translation of results into clinical practice was emphasized by the lOM committee. The new National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) is poised to engage this recommendation and the Columbus CCOP/NCORP with our experience in cancer care delivery research and educational programs to translate research results to care-givers is uniquely suited to this task. We have continued our reputation for innovation by adapting our existing infrastructure in the design of an integrated cancer care delivery research program involving our 3 major hospitals, coordinated by a team headed by a physician with experience in this area. Our history of extensive community interactions will enhance this effort. The Columbus CCOP/NCORP is indeed ready to join with the NCORP as we forge an innovative evidence-based, patient-centered cancer care delivery system. We are proud of our success in the past and look forward to a bright future as the Columbus NCORP.
Although great strides have been made, there is a continuing need for the improved and efficient delivery of cancer care based on solid evidence obtained from well-designed clinical research trials. Participation in this activity by our established community consortium under the auspices of the NCORP will help to achieve the goal of cancer control in our time.
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