How is the STAR Program evidence-based?
The online training is based on published research:
The STAR Program Certification Course and other online continuing education training modules are based on the latest scientific research with information from more than 1,000 studies that have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals—including many reports from this year to keep clinicians up to date on the latest treatment.
STAR Program Online Continuing Education
The protocols are based on published research and further tested at STAR Program sites:
STAR Program protocols are also based on published research from peer-reviewed medical journals and all references are identified in the detailed explanations for the protocols and listed at the end of the STAR Program Partner Education materials for the protocols. New protocols are tested and modified as deemed appropriate at STAR Program beta sites before they are released to STAR Programs. Some STAR Programs elect to undergo the rigorous peer review process and publish their data as abstracts/posters at medical conferences or in journals. For example, Mary Washington Healthcare elected to test the STAR Program Prehab protocol for lung cancer and published their results. In addition, they received the 2015 Innovator Award for demonstrating excellent clinical outcomes, decreased hospital length of stay and cost-savings.
Read our References for Public Research
STAR Programs report data and their outcomes are compared to Oncology Rehab Partners’ database:
The STAR Program extensive facility-reported data on cancer rehabilitation. As a result, we are able to compare your institution’s outcomes with a large aggregate database. For example, not only can we tell you if the improvement in pain scores that are reported on visual analog scales at the beginning and end of physical therapy are clinically significant, but we can also tell you how your institution compares to average pain scores in our large database.
STAR Program Certification aligns with other accreditations that focus on evidence-based care including CoC, CARF, Magnet and others. In addition, they received the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 2015 Innovator Award for demonstrating excellent clinical outcomes, decreased hospital length of stay and cost-savings.
STAR Program Certification incorporates the most recent scientific advances in a manner that ensures that certified facilities deliver high-quality cancer rehabilitation care.
Studies show that:
- The evidence-based need for cancer rehabilitation services is approximately 65-90%.
- There is a large gap between the need for and the delivery of rehabilitation services.
- Dual screening for distress and physical impairments is critical for optimal outcomes.
- Early screening and interventions may be incorporated into prehabilitation protocols.
- Rehabilitation is cost-effective.
STAR Programs demonstrate that:
- Access to rehabilitation care can be improved by more than 200% during the first few months of implementation.
- Successful pilots during the implementation period support the expansion of service lines across hospitals and systems.
- Cancer rehabilitation service-lines are sustainable, and they support themselves as well as other survivorship services that are not reimbursed by third party payers.
Everyone wins—the patients, providers and hospitals!
