Color Health Establishes Collaborations with NCI-Designated Cancer Centers to Strengthen Access to Expertise, Avoid Treatment Delays, and Improve Coordination of Care for Cancer Patients

Color's oncologists and collaborating cancer center teams connect patients with the right expertise, reduce time to treatment, and lower costs through appropriate care

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Color Health, the first virtual cancer clinic to receive ASCO Certified designation, today announced a set of formal clinical collaborations with leading NCI-designated cancer centers, expanding to other cancer centers throughout 2027. Color and collaborating cancer centers connect patients with the expertise they need and speed time to treatment through coordinated workup and records preparation, and streamlined intake workflows customized for each center. This can help ensure a timely, accurate start to care, which is important to improving outcomes and avoiding the cost of unnecessary or delayed treatment.

Collaborating cancer centers include City of Hope - Los Angeles, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Moffitt Cancer Center, Mount Sinai Health System and Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center, Stanford Medicine Cancer Center, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and other NCI-Designated Cancer Centers.

Cancer now stands as the top driver of healthcare costs and number two driver of mortality. Due to the nature, severity, and complexity of cancer, the quality and immediacy of care are the most effective ways to improve outcomes and manage cost. Color's oncologist-led medical group, which has a direct clinical relationship with each patient, works hand-in-hand with each center's intake teams and patient and physician liaisons.

When care at an NCI-Designated Cancer Center is a good fit for a patient's needs, Color coordinates directly with cancer center collaborators to match patients with the right team, complete the clinical workup, and gather and review comprehensive medical records to help patients start appropriate treatment sooner. Color and collaborating cancer centers have established streamlined patient coordination and intake workflows that reduce administrative barriers and delays, including oncology referrals placed by Color Medical for patients, with first-appointment targets for most patients set at 7 days or fewer.

"Patients often start cancer care with the provider they happen to reach first, which doesn't ensure they're connected to the expertise required for their best outcome," said Caroline Savello, President of Color. "These collaborations change that. When patients are more accurately and swiftly matched with specialty care teams, it's better for the patient and for the employers and funds paying for their care."

"Moffitt Cancer Center is dedicated to advancing cancer care through innovation, research and multidisciplinary expertise," said Karen Lu, MD, Physician in Chief at Moffitt Cancer Center. "Collaborating with Color Health expands opportunities to connect patients with the specialized care they need sooner, while improving coordination across the cancer care continuum. This effort reflects our shared commitment to delivering the best possible experience and outcomes for patients facing cancer."

"Our shared goal with Color Health is to expedite care for people newly diagnosed with cancer," said Laurel Bray-Hanin, Vice President Cancer Services, UCSF Health. "UCSF Health is committing dedicated resources to make that happen, because putting patients first means getting them to the right care quickly."

Highly coordinated access: Color's oncologist-led medical group has a direct clinical relationship with each patient and refers to collaborating centers' intake teams to assess each case and prepare the patient for treatment. Studies have shown ordering previsit-workup can reduce time to diagnosis by 42% (Mullin et al.), and avoiding low-quality or redundant screening can reduce downstream spending by 6x (PMC, 2022).

Speed to treatment initiation: Delays in starting treatment often come from missing records and incomplete workups. Research links delays in starting treatment to worse outcomes: a meta-analysis of 34 studies found roughly 6-8% higher mortality for each four-week delay in treatment (Hanna et al., BMJ 2020).

Lower costs through appropriate care: For employers, unions, and health plans, getting the right patients to the right expertise can reduce total cost of care. A confirmed diagnosis and a complete workup at the start mean less duplicate testing, fewer treatment changes later, and fewer avoidable emergency visits and hospitalizations. These savings come from the right clinical decisions and care, not negotiated prices.

"Color's collaborating cancer centers share our commitment to patient-centered access, expertise, and quality for every patient," said Dr. Rebecca Miksad, Chief Medical Officer of Color. "Color patients arrive prepared so the right treatment can start quickly, and if patients come to Color with an issue during treatment, Color's clinicians can quickly escalate to the collaborating centers."

Key components of the model include:

• Direct physician and patient liaison relationships: Designated contacts at both organizations, which may include clinician-to-clinician lines of communication when appropriate.
• Streamlined patient coordination and intake pathways: Agreed upon processes that route patients to the appropriate team, including disease-specific pathways, and defined provider referral requirements upfront.
• Coordinated diagnostic workup: Pre-visit workup, records, and authorizations completed by Color to each center's specifications.
• Escalation pathways during treatment: Color's clinicians escalate any patient issues shared with Color to the collaborating centers.
• Joint clinical trial support: Coordination to identify potential trial candidates, assemble the necessary information, and support institution-led eligibility assessment and enrollment.
• Ongoing supportive care: Support from Color's team during and after treatment, including nutrition, mental health, palliative, and survivorship care.

Additional collaborating institutions will be announced in the coming months. More information is available at https://color.com/cancer-center-collaborations.

About Color Health
Color's Virtual Cancer Clinic, powered by Color Medical's 50-state, oncologist-led medical group, has transformed cancer care for employers, health plans, unions, and the public sector. Combining technology and AI with its in-house medical group, Color's ASCO-certified virtual clinic identifies high-risk members, detects cancer earlier through guidelines-based screening, provides direct clinical care for patients in active treatment, and fully supports the unique needs of cancer survivors. Connect with Color on LinkedIn, X, and Color.com.

Contact:
Andy Kill
[email protected]

SOURCE Color Health