US Oncology Selected to Help Association of Northern California Oncologists With Payer Provider Partnership Strategy

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- US Oncology, Inc., the nation's leading integrated oncology company, announced today that the Association of Northern California Oncologists (ANCO) has selected Innovent Oncology as a preferred vendor for payer provider partnerships and front-end compliance models. ANCO says its role will be limited to informing, educating, and recommending that members proactively take advantage of front-end compliance programs such as Innovent Oncology to negotiate payer provider partnerships with major third-party payers. Innovent Oncology is a wholly-owned subsidiary of US Oncology designed by physicians and cancer care experts to expand patient access to high-quality, evidence-based medicine and proactive patient cancer care.

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"Managed care payers want oncology solutions that reduce variation and cost. Oncology physicians want stable decision-making in the best interest of their patients, and payer contracts that allow cancer centers and community offices to continue to provide care. But, without a strategy to bring to the table, physicians become vulnerable and ineffective in effecting change or improvements," says Jose Luis Gonzalez, Executive Director at ANCO. "Front-end compliance models best support physician medical-decision making in physician payer partnership models."

With a unique focus on supporting the entire care continuum for cancer patients, Innovent Oncology offers ANCO members a comprehensive, physician-driven cancer care solution that enhances the quality and consistency of patient care. ANCO physicians, working with Innovent Oncology, can access evidence-based treatment guidelines, proactive patient management services, and advance care planning to create value for patients. This collaborative program, coupled with managed care negotiations, aligns incentives to produce better outcomes and opportunities for enhanced reimbursement.

"Clinical decision point compliance models, such as Innovent Oncology, help physicians make educated treatment decisions at the point-of-care," says Roy Beveridge, MD, medical director at US Oncology. "We're excited that the ANCO Board of Directors recognizes the excellent patient-focused program our network of physicians has created with Innovent Oncology. With this program, we intend to improve the consistency and quality of treatments and improve the patient experience while simultaneously lowering over all treatment costs and improving the value to patients and payers."

The foundation of Innovent Oncology's program is Level I Pathways, which are evidence-based guidelines used by hundreds of physicians in the United Network of US Oncology that offer ANCO physicians a more precise approach to cancer care compared to other generally accepted treatment guidelines. Developed by practicing community-based oncologists from the United Network of US Oncology, Level I Pathways assist physicians in making treatment decisions for the most commonly treated cancers and provide a consistent basis for delivering high-quality, evidence-based care. Pathways are documented through point-of-care decision support tools which provide a platform for standardization and outcomes measurement.

A joint study between a major third-party payer and US Oncology, published in the January 2010 peer-reviewed Journal of Oncology Practice, evaluated the cost-effectiveness of Level I Pathways. The study found that outpatient costs were 35% lower for those patients treated according to Level I Pathways guidelines while maintaining equivalent health outcomes. An independent study by Milliman further validated the study results.

Innovent Oncology provides services to ANCO physicians that extend beyond the physician's office chemotherapy treatment regimen to support the patients between treatments outside the physician's office. With Patient Support Services, Innovent Oncology provides ANCO physicians with the ability to deliver proactive disease management services. Oncology-certified nurses provide personalized patient support and education throughout treatment between office visits and throughout treatment to help increase adherence to the treatment plans and reduce unplanned emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Advance Care Planning (ACP) assists the physicians in preparing patients for disease progression and documents patient treatment preferences, including palliative care and hospice. Working with ANCO physicians, specially trained nurses facilitate open, frank conversations with the patient and his or her family to help them explore understand and document the patient's own preferences for care. This proactive approach empowers patients, increases their understanding and satisfaction with care, and reduces stress on caregivers and family.

About US Oncology

US Oncology, Inc. is the nation's leading integrated oncology company. By uniting the largest community-based cancer treatment and research network in America, US Oncology expands patient access to high-quality care and advances the science of cancer care. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, US Oncology is affiliated with more than 1,300 community-based oncologists, and works with patients, hospitals, payers, and the medical industry across all phases of the cancer research and delivery system. By promoting the use of innovative technology, clinical research, evidence-based medicine and shared best practices, US Oncology improves patient outcomes and offers a better patient experience. For more information, visit www.usoncology.com.

About Innovent Oncology

US Oncology expands patient access to high-quality, advanced cancer care through its comprehensive evidence-based medicine and patient care program, Innovent Oncology. Building upon physician and clinician expertise to create value in cancer care, Innovent Oncology uses a powerful reporting and analytic platform to increase efficiencies and reduce treatment variability across the entire patient care continuum. By applying US Oncology's well-defined Level I Pathways treatment guidelines, proactive patient care management and support, and advance care planning, physicians can enhance the quality and consistency of patient care delivered in communities throughout the nation. The program also strives to align incentives between providers and payers to produce better patient outcomes and an improved patient experience. For more information, call (866) 214-2194 or visit www.innoventoncology.com. 

SOURCE US Oncology, Inc.