Care Coordination for Complex Cancer Survivors in an Integrated Safety Net System

Nearly 70% of people living with cancer are "complex patients" with multiple chronic conditions who must deal not only with effects of their cancer but also continuing diseases such as diabetes, depression, hypertension, or heart disease. Care coordination strategies shown to be effective in improving outcomes for common medical conditions seen in primary care include: systematic transitions for patients to and from specialty care; intensive case management; and a team-based approach to comprehensive care. Despite an Institute of Medicine report suggesting these strategies as potential ways to improve care for cancer survivors, their implementation has not yet been evaluated for cancer survivors. Parkland Health and Hospital Systems will be implementing care coordinator strategies as part of as quality assurance/quality improvement activities, which Aim 2 and Aim 3 (research components) will evaluate. This protocol has been organized to reflect this distinction between the aims. The investigators expect no more than 1500 patients to be included in these study aims.