Our topic for the #LCSM Tweet Chat on Thursday, May 3^rd (5 PM Pacific/8 PM Eastern) is “What Defines a “Quality” #LungCancer Treatment Center?  Thoughts from the Frontline.” The moderator for this chat is Dr. David Tom Cooke (@DavidCookeMD).

Recently the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) announced it would cover next-generation sequencing (NGS) for US patients with stage III or IV lung cancer when ordered by a physician and performed in a CLIA-certified laboratory.  This decision makes broad genomic testing to available to many more patients.  Having increased access to this technology led us to ask what other services and resources should be available at a lung cancer treatment center in order for that center have a “quality” program.

We want to hear how individuals on the front lines of lung cancer—patients, family members and care providers—define a quality lung cancer treatment center.  Accreditation programs such as the Commission on Cancer Accreditation and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center Designation have published their definitions.  Do you agree with their definitions?  Do you know of novel initiatives at your own treatment center that should be included in the definition of quality?

We will use the questions below to guide our discussion during our May 3^rd Tweet Chat:

• T1) What screening services and resources should a quality #lungcancer treatment center offer? What associated qualifications/approvals should the screening program have?
• T2) What diagnostic services, tests, and resources should a quality #lungcancer treatment center offer? Should it have a multidisciplinary tumor board?
• T3) What surgical and radiosurgery services and resources should a quality #lungcancer treatment center offer?
• T5) What chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy treatments should a quality #lungcancer treatment center offer?
• T6) What communication services and online resources should a quality #lungcancer treatment center offer? What should be the role of telemedicine?
• T7) Must a #lungcancer treatment program offer clinical trials (or at least discuss clinical trial options) to be considered a quality program?
• T8) What patient/caregiver and/or survivorship support services should a quality #lungcancer treatment center offer? #LCSM

Please remember to include #LCSM in ALL your tweets so the other chat participants can see them. If you need a refresher, read our primer on participating in the chat . Hope you’ll join us!