OneOncology

OneOncology is using a community-based platform approach to catalyze broader access to care for patients with cancer while also advancing scientific discovery.

The Institute of Value-Based Medicine® (IVBM), hosted by Tennessee Oncology, brought health care leaders together on April 21 in Nashville, Tennessee, to discuss oncology care delivery—and to see colleagues in person, some for the first time since 2020.

After the Oncology Care Model (OCM) expires at the end of June, Tennessee Oncology will take what it learned from the model and apply it to commercial value-based care arrangements and potentially the next Medicare model, said Leah Owens, DNP, RN, executive director of care transformation at Tennessee Oncology.

Stephen M. Schleicher, MD, MBA, chief medical officer, Tennessee Oncology, previews the Nashville meeting of The American Journal of Managed Care®'s Institute for Value-Based Medicine® (IVBM), co-hosted by Tennessee Oncology.

Davey Daniel, MD, chief medical officer, OneOncology, speaks on the knowledge, infrastructure, and payer-related barriers that are limiting the use of genomic testing in the management of patients with lung cancer.

Across OneOncology, says Edward Arrowsmith MD, MPH, clinical pathways offer a vehicle for physicians to agree on best practices and to implement them across the network. Early this year, Arrowsmith became medical director for Clinical Pathways, OneOncology.

OneOncology, a national platform for independent oncology practices, announced 2 partnerships this week.

The first in-person Community Oncology Alliance (COA) meeting in 2 years will feature sessions on practice management, health disparities, and more. A virtual option is available.

Minority, low-income, and elderly patients faced greater barriers to care even when it went virtual during the pandemic, according to Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at West Cancer Center.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of experimentation with new technologies for remote patient monitoring (RPM) to improve adherence and survival, according to Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at West Cancer Center.

The changes come as Tennessee Oncology must now plan for a gap between the Oncology Care Model and a future alternative payment model from CMS.

Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, and Natalie Dickson, MD, discuss their new roles as chief medical officer (CMO) and chief strategy officer (CSO), respectively, at Tennessee Oncology.

Tennessee Oncology appointed Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), with president Natalie Dickson, MD, being promoted from CMO to Chief Strategy Officer (CSO).

Jeffrey Patton, MD, is the CEO of OneOncology, a national partnership of independent community oncologists based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also executive chairman of the board, Tennessee Oncology, and a member of the board, Community Oncology Alliance.

Duncan Allen, MHA, introduced the audience to the OneR clinical research initiative, and Jeffrey Patton, MD, discussed how the hospital transparency law has bolstered the case for the value of community oncology.

The discussion, "Remote Patient Monitoring: Case Studies From the Front Lines,” explored real-world experiences with technology that has taken on greater heft as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect health care delivery.

The announcement of a "strategic refresh" for payment models under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation offered no details on what practices should expect when the Oncology Care Model (OCM) expires in 2022.

Physician and health policy advocates praised the emphasis on streamlining models and ending silos, but practices that invested in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) await key details.

Experts who took part in Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2021 said when guidelines recommend high-cost targeted therapies or immunotherapies, the focus must turn to areas such as imaging, diagnostic tests, and other elements that contribute to the cost of care.

With the Oncology Care Model (OCM) slated to end in 2022, the successor model is still not in place. According to panelists, there is likely going to be a gap after OCM ends and the new model begins, but more importantly, practices should prepare for the new model to be mandatory.

Having the option of receiving care in their community instead of a large hospital located hours away is not only a benefit for many patients, but research is showing community oncology practices are a low-cost, high-quality provider of care, explained Jeff Patton, MD, executive chairman of Tennessee Oncology and CEO of OneOncology.

Davey Daniel, MD, an oncologist with Tennessee Oncology in Chattanooga, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about the withdrawal of indications in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) for the PD-1 inhibitors pembrolizumab and nivolumab.

Originally set to expire on June 30, 2021, the Oncology Care Model was extended for an additional year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biomarker testing and remote patient monitoring are just 2 areas of research presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Davey Daniel, MD, hematology/medical oncology specialist, Tennessee Oncology, discusses findings of an abstract presented at ASCO 2021 showing a lower total cost of care paid by Medicare for episodes of care for patients in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) enrolled in clinical trials vs those receiving routine care.

Edward Licitra, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, Astera Health Partners, discusses his thoughts on what value-based cancer care entails and how physicians can best align their goals with those of the patient and health plan.

Day 1 of this year’s virtual Community Oncology Conference opened with a panel discussion that touched on all things related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with leaders presenting a unified front.