APP-Led Benign Hematology Consults Reduce Wait Times and Expand Access in Community Oncology

In this interview with Pharmacy Times at ASCO 2026, Eileen Vella, MS, PA-C, Director, Advanced Practice Provider Services, McKesson, discusses the impact of advanced practice provider (APP)–led new consult programs in community oncology and hematology care. Vella explains how APP-led benign hematology workflows reduced time to first appointment by nearly 50% across participating practices, improving patient access and accelerating care delivery for patients with conditions such as iron deficiency anemia. She highlights the collaborative role oncology pharmacists play in treatment selection, insurance navigation, and patient education within team-based care models.

Pharmacy Times: Given the reductions in time to first appointment across practices, what APP responsibilities or workflows were most important in improving access to benign hematology care, and where do pharmacists fit into that process?

Eileen Vella, MS, PA-C: Time to first appointment was one of our biggest metrics. Essentially, that means we looked at the time between when patients were scheduled for an appointment and when they were actually seen. Across the 4 practices included in this pilot, all demonstrated about a 50% reduction in time to first appointment. For example, at 1 practice, it previously took about 15 days for patients to be seen. After implementing new visit slots for APPs and scaling the program, that timeframe decreased to about 7 days.

What that means is that patients with cancer are getting into the practice much faster. As we know, cancer diagnoses are high-anxiety situations, and patients want to feel connected to the practice and begin treatment as quickly as possible.

From a pharmacist standpoint, there are great opportunities for collaboration between APPs and pharmacists. APPs are leading the benign hematology team and seeing many patients with iron deficiency anemia. With support from pharmacists, they can determine the most appropriate treatment approach, assist with treatment decisions, and provide patient education.

Pharmacy Times: From a care delivery perspective, how can oncology pharmacists and pharmacy teams collaborate with APPs to support triage, patient education, and long-term management?

Vella: To walk through the workflow, patients are first scheduled onto the APP schedule. The APPs then see the patient, conduct the workup, order any appropriate laboratory testing and/or imaging if needed, and determine the treatment plan.

With the support of pharmacists in some of our practices, the pharmacy team helps determine the most appropriate treatment for patients diagnosed with anemia and also assists with the educational component. Overall, this creates a strong opportunity for both disciplines to work together within a team-based care approach.

Pharmacy Times: Workforce shortages continue to challenge oncology and hematology practices. What operational or cultural barriers should practices anticipate when expanding APP-led consult programs, and how can interdisciplinary teams—including pharmacists—support successful implementation?

Vella: One of the core foundations of this initiative’s success was the creation of extensive educational materials by our team. We developed a benign hematology toolkit to help practices implement and move forward with the program. The toolkit includes scheduling guidance, as well as language schedulers can use when explaining to patients that they will be seen by an APP.

We also created substantial educational content to ensure APPs feel comfortable caring for patients with benign hematology conditions. This included 16 educational modules covering a variety of topics, along with a benign hematology pocket guide focused on our top 10 diagnoses. The guide outlines the types of questions APPs should ask patients, suggestions for patient workups, treatment recommendations, and guidance on diagnosis coding.

Together, these resources served as a strong foundation to help APPs feel confident managing these patients. Another key factor that helped mitigate barriers and contributed to the success of the pilot was having a physician champion involved. APPs and physicians work very well together, and this initiative created a meaningful opportunity to strengthen that partnership through a team-based care approach.

Pharmacy Times: As APP-led benign hematology consult programs continue to grow, are there specific patient populations or supportive care needs where pharmacists could play a larger role in improving efficiency, adherence, or patient outcomes?

Vella: When we rolled out this pilot, we started quite conservatively within the iron deficiency anemia category. That is really where the collaboration among APPs, physicians, and pharmacists became key. As the APP worked up the patient, they maintained a close relationship with the pharmacist to determine the best treatment options for the patient and understand what was covered from an insurance standpoint. That collaboration helped patients receive the treatment they needed as quickly as possible.

Obviously, patient access and throughput are at the core of the work we do as APPs, physicians, and pharmacists. However, creating initiatives like our APP-led benign hematology program is also professionally fulfilling for APPs. We value working as part of a team, but there is also an opportunity for more autonomous practice within these programs. This patient population allows APPs to carve out a niche within their practice while also demonstrating a meaningful impact on patient access and care delivery, making this pilot a win on multiple levels.