NCCN CEO Discusses Guideline Updates, Other Key Initiatives

From digitizing its guidelines to potential embedding them in EMRs, the National Comprehensive Cancer  Network (NCCN) is working to “make the workflow easier and better” for oncologists, Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, FACP, CEO of the NCCN, told Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in  Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Dr. Denlinger broke down the organization’s current  priorities and key initiatives, including how the network is tackling preauthorization challenges and helping to educate clinicians about changes to best practices. She notes that initiatives to ensure NCCN  guidelines are available, useful, and up to date are crucial because “I truly believe that guideline-concordant care is one of the ways in which we can cure cancer.”