baltimore, December 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The American Urological Association (AUA) today celebrates the inclusion of the Veterans Affairs Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act in Congress’ year-end spending package. This important measure supports the development and implementation of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical programs focused on coordinated comprehensive care for veterans with prostate cancer.
The bill also directs the VHA to develop a nationwide clinical pathway for prostate cancer and design a prostate cancer registry and research program. A clinical pathway is a multidisciplinary, evidence-based tool that guides medical best practice for a particular condition or disease. The goal of clinical pathways is to streamline and improve both the quality and delivery of care to patients, resulting in improved patient outcomes. The registry created by this law will be unique to veterans receiving treatment within the VHA system.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 268,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022 alone. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health reports that prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed with his VHA. Thus, over the past several years, the AUA and its advocacy partners have worked to find processes to improve prostate cancer care for our veterans.
“In the last two Congresses, the AUA has worked closely with patient advocacy groups such as Veterans Prostate Cancer Awareness, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer to draft legislation that will lead both the U.S. House and Senate. Find the proponents of the bill and guide it through the legislative process,” said Robert Bass, MD, chairman of the AUA’s Legislative Affairs Committee. As such, we hope the VHA will be well positioned to develop these clinical pathway models and improve research and evidence-based care for veterans across America.”
AUA applauds senators’ leadership Jerry Moran (R-KS) and John Tester (D-MT) and representative Neil DunnMD, (R-FL-02), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08) On this important issue.
About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, MarylandThe American Urological Association is the leading advocate for the urology profession, with approximately 24,000 members worldwide. AUA is the premier urological association, providing invaluable support to the urological community while pursuing its mission to promote the highest standards of urological care through education, research and health policy development.
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Source American Urological Association
