Optimizing Oncology Care Through Collaborative Teams

The global burden of cancer is significant, with millions of new diagnoses expected annually, necessitating highly coordinated and patient-centered care. To address workforce shortages, increasing case complexity, and high rates of clinician burnout, ASCO advocates for a transition from traditional physician-centric models to interdependent, multidisciplinary team-based care. This paper outlines the essential characteristics of high-functioning oncology teams, which include clearly defined roles and responsibilities, established leadership, effective communication, shared goals, accountability, and a culture of psychological safety. To optimize team workflows, visual tools such as swim lane diagrams are recommended to clearly delineate tasks across various professionals, including oncologists, advanced practice providers, nurses, pharmacists, and support staff, thereby preventing redundancy and improving efficiency. Successfully implementing optimal care teams directly contributes to practice health by fostering supportive environments that enhance job satisfaction, improve clinician retention, and mitigate burnout, which currently affects over half of the oncology workforce. However, significant systemic barriers hinder the optimization of these collaborative models. Challenges include declining reimbursement rates, burdensome utilization management policies such as prior authorizations, and a lack of organizational support for nonbillable collaborative time. Furthermore, the rapid integration of artificial intelligence introduces new complexities to team dynamics and workflows. Ultimately, sustaining optimal team-based oncology care requires ongoing re-evaluation of roles and strong partnerships between clinical and administrative leaders to ensure long-term practice health and improved patient experiences.