How to cite: Martin BJ. Urologist Led Advanced Prostate Cancer Clinic (APCC): Tips, Tricks, and Pitfalls. Grand Rounds in Urology. October 2025. Accessed Mar 2026. https://grandroundsinurology.com/urologist-led-advanced-prostate-cancer-clinic-apcc-tips-tricks-and-pitfalls/
Summary
Benjamin J. Martin, MD, Director, Advanced Prostate Cancer Clinic, Central Ohio Urology Group, Worthington, Ohio, describes the creation and evolution of a urologist-led Advanced Prostate Cancer Clinic (APCC), specifically how clinical structure, staffing, workflows, and culture influence implementation of care. He describes the optimal leadership structure of an APCC, including the benefits of a shared workload and alternation between physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs).
Dr. Martin states that advanced prostate cancer patients require longer visits in order to fully discuss and address topics like diagnosis, bone health, lifestyle counseling, genetic considerations, and new medication guidance. He explains that careful documentation and correct coding are essential to secure timely insurance approval for therapies. He then outlines the need to define advanced disease within the practice, explaining that his group moved from a narrow definition limited to castration-resistant disease to a broader approach that includes high- and very-high-risk patients.
He highlights the importance of administrative support for staffing, referral pathways, billing oversight, scheduling, and navigation. He describes navigators as essential for education, appointment coordination, and infusion support. He explains that strong collaboration with radiation oncology and clearly structured collaboration with community medical oncology improve seamless patient care. He emphasizes that an in-office dispensary improves adherence, monitoring, drug education, and financial assistance.
Dr. Martin stresses that an APCC requires ongoing effort. The practice must monitor referrals, staffing needs, pathway adherence, billing accuracy, and grant availability. He describes multidisciplinary tumor boards and close collaboration between physicians and APPs as major contributors to sustained high-quality care.
Frontiers in Oncologic Prostate Care and Ablative Local Therapy (FOCAL) is an outstanding program on prostate imaging, transperineal interventions, and ablative treatments for prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Bringing together community-based, academic, and industry partners, FOCAL offers lectures by world-renowned faculty and hands-on training workshops on in-office transperineal interventions, fusion-guided, prostate ablation and state-of-the-art BPH management with novel technologies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Benjamin J. Martin, MD, is the Physician Director, Advanced Prostate Cancer Center at Central Ohio Urology Group in Gahanna, Ohio. His specialties include adrenalectomy, kidney cancer, nephrectomy, advanced prostate cancer, and robotic surgery. Dr. Martin earned his medical degree at Ohio State University, and completed an internship in General Surgery and residency in Urology at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. He also completed a Urology residency at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans in Louisiana.
