6531 Background: Improvement in the quality of care can translate into an improvement in the patient outcome. Evaluation of care quality among oncology practices has been associated with an improvement in the care of breast or colorectal cancer patients previously. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Recently quality of care indicators specific for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been developed. We investigated the impact of oncology practice evaluation on care quality in NSCLC. Methods: In 2008, members of the Florida Initiative for Quality Cancer Care submitted medical records of randomly sampled, new NSCLC patients who were seen in 2006 for review as baseline practice performance. Results were then circulated among members and voluntary improvement projects independently undertaken in each practice. In 2010, a repeat evaluation was conducted of new NSCLC patients first seen in 2009 to characterize change(s). Results: 10 practices (7 private and 3 university-based) contributed 1,091 patient records for analysis: 518 in 2006 and 573 in 2009. Baseline characteristics of patients were well balanced; however, the proportion of Medicaid or unfunded patients was higher in 2009 than in 2006 (14.8% vs. 7.7%, p=0.002). Of the 7 quality indicators measured, 4 showed a significant improvement when adjusted by practice site and patient characteristics (Table). Notable improvements included the use of brain staging before chemoradiation for stage III patients, performance status documentation and the use of cisplatin for adjuvant therapy. Conclusions: Performance evaluation is associated with an improvement in selected indicators of the quality of care in NSCLC. [Table: see text]
Quality-of-Care Indicators for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
