Cultivating Care: Growing Sustainable Financial Advocacy Programs to Better Serve Patients-Cultivating Care_ Growing Sustainable Financial Advocacy Programs to Better Serve Patients

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, hosted by the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC), focused on building sustainable financial advocacy programs to better serve cancer patients. Moderator Lori Schneider introduced speaker Dr. Margaret Liang, who explained the growing importance of financial advocacy in cancer care and the need to standardize services across diverse practices.<br /><br />Dr. Liang defined financial toxicity as the monetary and time burdens of cancer care, including out-of-pocket medical costs, transportation, lodging, lost income, distress, medical debt, and treatment delays or nonadherence. She illustrated these challenges through a patient case involving Jose, an undocumented, non-English-speaking man facing major barriers to treatment access and affordability.<br /><br />She described ACCC’s updated Financial Advocacy Services Guidelines and the new assessment tool, which help practices evaluate current services, identify gaps, and plan improvements. The guidelines cover three main areas: financial advocacy services and functions, program management, and partner engagement. The assessment tool is meant to support organizations at any stage, from a single clinic to a large cancer center, and can be used to guide quality improvement and long-term planning.<br /><br />The webinar also highlighted the importance of collaboration among clinicians, administrators, financial advocates, and external partners. Real-world examples showed how organizations can use the tool to improve workflows, expand follow-up, and strengthen screening and support systems.<br /><br />The session ended with practical Q&A about implementation timelines, resources for undocumented patients, and strategies for introducing financial advocacy into new clinics. Overall, the webinar emphasized proactive, patient-centered financial support as an essential part of equitable cancer care.

Keywords

financial advocacy

cancer care

financial toxicity

ACCC guidelines

patient support

healthcare affordability

treatment access

program assessment

equitable care

cancer patients