The network’s OCM program will test and refine key processes necessary for meeting the OCM requirements and support oncologists during the transition to new value and team-based care models.
The US Oncology Network is comprised of more than 25 oncology practices and more than 1,000 physicians. It is one of the nation’s largest networks of integrated, community-based oncology practices. The organization’s affiliated physicians provide care to more than 800,000 cancer patients each year.
The CMS payment and care delivery model aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cancer care delivery by aligning financial incentives and performance accountability for episodes of care involving chemotherapy administration. The Network OCM program is designed to incorporate key processes into the normal workflow wherever possible so additional staff time, expense and workflow disruptions can be minimized.
Several key initiatives that are currently under development will provide the foundation for the program, including:
- Enhancing technology solutions to meet OCM requirements;
- Determining how to integrate patient navigation tasks into practice workflow as required by the OCM;
- Expanding on analytics capability to support continuous improvements;
- Building tools that make it easier for physicians to participate with no extra clicks or burdens; and
- Introducing Care Paths, an innovative way to provide high value across the continuum of care that goes beyond clinical decisions, incorporating other points of care along the way.
“While there are many positive aspects to the CMS Oncology Care Model, it is overall quite complex and potentially disruptive to workflow,” said David Cosgrove, MD, an oncologist with Compass Oncology, a practice in The Network located in Vancouver, Wash. “There are detailed expectations that smaller physician and community practices will find challenging. By the conclusion of this program, our expectation is to define optimal work flows enabled by technology solutions that allow us to maintain our high level of quality care while meeting the OCM requirements.”
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