OneOncology and The START Center for Cancer Care Partner to Enhance Cancer Care in San Antonio

NASHVILLE, Tenn. and SAN ANTONIO, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- OneOncology, a physician-led national platform empowering independent oncology practices, and The START Center for Cancer Care, a physician-owned oncology practice with 44 providers treating patients at six clinics, have finalized a partnership agreement that will enhance the delivery of cancer care services across the San Antonio region.

The START Center for Cancer Care has 37 physicians, seven advanced practice providers, and 328 employees caring for 30,000 patients annually at six clinics in San Antonio and Boerne. The practice was founded in 1985 as South Texas Hematology and Oncology by Dr. Lon Smith and Dr. Steven Kalter. Today the START Center provides patients with comprehensive services along the cancer care continuum including subspecialty care, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, integrative therapies, in-house pharmacy, lab services, and genetic testing. The practice is also the home of The START Center for Cancer Research, a global leader in early phase oncology clinical trials.

"Having the physicians and cancer researchers at The START Center join OneOncology is a significant milestone for our platform and the cancer care our partnership of independent physician practices delivers across the country," said Jeff Patton, MD, CEO, OneOncology. "The START physicians all play a vital role in San Antonio by offering patients an important choice to receive the highest quality of specialized cancer care and clinical trials at home in South Texas, close to their families and support systems at costs that are far less than in hospital systems. We are thrilled to have them join our partnership and look forward to helping them grow and continue caring for their community."

By joining the OneOncology platform, The START Center for Cancer Care will maintain its independence and have access to a comprehensive platform of clinical, operational, and technological resources that support physician-led cancer care. The partnership will empower the practice's team of oncologists, hematologists, radiation oncologists, and gynecological oncologists, and surgeons with real-time clinical insights, proven technological tools, collaborative research opportunities, and operational solutions to address the challenges that practices face, and ultimately enhancing patient-centered care in and around San Antonio.

"We're excited to join other leading independent oncology practices from across the country on the OneOncology platform," said Lon Smith, MD, CEO, The START Center for Cancer. "Our physicians have provided high-quality, specialized, and compassionate cancer care in and around San Antonio for more 40 years, and we're looking forward to the OneOncology partnership bringing us capital, expertise, and proven solutions to grow our practice and continue meeting the needs of our patients and their families."

About OneOncology 
OneOncology was founded by community oncologists, for community oncologists, with the mission of improving the lives of everyone living with cancer. Our goal is to enable community oncology practices to remain independent and to improve patient access to care in their communities, all at a lower cost than in the hospital setting. OneOncology supports our platform of community oncology practices through group purchasing, operational optimization, data analytics, practice growth, and clinical innovation. Our 1,750 cancer care providers care for approximately 1 million patients at more than 565 sites of care nationwide. To learn more, visit oneoncology.com or LinkedIn.

SOURCE OneOncology, LLC.