J&J Oncology Care Index Finds Community Innovation Adoption Gap

Community oncologists are eager to adopt innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advances in immunotherapy, but that enthusiasm is not translating into use on its own, according to Mahadi Baig, MD, vice president and head of solid tumors, US Medical Affairs, at Johnson & Johnson, in a recent interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®) about results of the Oncology Care Index. The gap between belief and adoption, he said, reflects a systems problem rather than a lack of physician confidence.

Baig will lead a discussion at AJMC’s Patient-Centered Oncology Care^® conference about the findings of the index.

Why Johnson & Johnson Launched the Oncology Care Index

The Oncology Care Index is a research initiative led by Johnson & Johnson to understand what community oncology practices need in order to deliver consistent, high-quality cancer care regardless of geography. Nearly 85% of cancer care is delivered in community practices, he said, making them central to closing the gap between scientific innovation and day-to-day patient care.

"These practices are the frontline where…the scientific breakthroughs must meet everyday realities for patients," Baig said.

To track that gap, Johnson & Johnson has partnered with Harris Poll for the past two years. The inaugural 2025 index surveyed health care providers across a range of practice settings and established a baseline that pointed to a growing divide between cancer innovation and its implementation in daily practice.

What Year 2 of the Index Reveals About the Innovation Gap

For year 2, researchers deepened their focus on community practices, surveying 109 community oncologists and, for the first time, 100 practice administrators who run day-to-day operations. The results showed that the divide between what community oncologists believe tools like artificial intelligence and immunotherapy can accomplish and what they actually implement in practice is not closing on its own.

"There isn't a confidence problem; it's actually a systems problem, and it points us towards actionable steps needed to close that gap," Baig said.

The findings, Baig said, give an evidence base to identify those actionable steps, with the goal of moving community oncology practices closer to care defined by quality rather than by zip code.