Extending the Academic NMIBC Care Model to Community Practice

In this installment, Mark D. Tyson II, MD, MPH, credits Alexandra Drakaki, MD,’s description of the UCLA model and agrees that many urologists in community practice are capable of similarly close coordination. Drakaki describes how UCLA extends its academic expertise outward through roughly 20 affiliated community practices, working to involve academic medical oncologists in those patients' care even when treatment happens closer to home.

Tyson describes his own approach to staying connected with community partners: maintaining an active, ongoing group of text threads with referring physicians so questions and updates can move quickly without waiting for a formal appointment. He frames constant, informal communication as the practical foundation that makes cross-practice coordination work.

Drakaki adds that patients notice and appreciate this arrangement. Knowing that academic-level oncology expertise is involved in their case gives them peace of mind, she says, while still being able to receive treatment close to home, which meaningfully improves their quality of life during what is often a long course of therapy.

In the next episode, "Tumor Boards and Prescribing Comfort With Durvalumab Plus BCG," Tyson raises the role of tumor boards in coordinating care, and Drakaki asks him how comfortable he now feels prescribing durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus BCG following its recent approval.