ASCO today announced its second “Top Five” list of opportunities to improve the quality and value of cancer care. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), ASCO’s second Top Five list was released as part of the Choosing Wisely® campaign, sponsored by the ABIM Foundation, to encourage conversations between physicians and patients aimed at curbing the use of certain tests and procedures that are not supported by clinical research. One of the first nine medical societies to join the Choosing Wisely campaign, ASCO issued its first Top Five list in April 2012.

“As physicians, we have a fundamental responsibility to provide high-quality, high-value cancer care for all of our patients,” said Lowell E. Schnipper, MD, lead author of the JCO article and chair of ASCO’s Value of Cancer Care Task Force. “That means eliminating screening and imaging tests where the risk of harm outweighs the benefits, and making sure that every choice of treatment reflects the best available evidence.  By providing evidence-based care, we not only help our patients live better with cancer, we also assure they are getting high-quality care that will deliver the greatest possible benefit for the cost.”

To help members assess care in their practices based on ASCO’s Top Five lists, measures based on the Top Five recommendations are offered as test measures in ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) , a national program that helps practices assess and improve the quality of care they deliver  through retrospective medical record abstraction and performance analysis. A team of clinicians and quality measurement experts are reviewing “Top Five” test performance based on more than 14,000 records (160 practices) and further refining the measures for future implementation.

For more information on ASCO’s Top Five list and the Choosing Wisely campaign, visit asco.org/topfive.