OneOncology and our practice partners are constantly devoted to improving approaches to patient-centered oncology that improves equitable access to high-quality cancer care while also addressing the high costs that impact patients.  

That’s why we’re excited about the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) new pilot project, the Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification program. Nine select cancer centers in the U.S., three of which are OneOncology partners (Tennessee Oncology, the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and Cancer & Hematology Centers of Western Michigan) met the qualifications to participate in a patient-centered care delivery pilot to deliver high-quality, equitable, evidence-based care.

“The importance of this program cannot be overstated,” said Davey Daniel, MD and Chief Medical Officer at OneOncology. “Testing and advancing new models of patient-centric care is difficult and important work that will benefit the entire oncology community. Having three of the nine practices in this pilot project as partners of OneOncology is a testament to our collective commitment to advance value-based care models that enhance high-quality, patient-focused cancer care.”

The pilot program is based on oncology medical home (OMH) standards, which are a single set of comprehensive, expert-backed standards for patient-centered care delivery, published by ASCO and the Community Oncology Alliance. The standards also have many similarities to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s recently announced Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) requirements, making participants “well-positioned to perform in the EOM,” as ASCO and the Community Oncology Alliance have pointed out.

This first wave of cancer centers certified through this program have successfully upheld the OMH standards and have implemented this new model for patient-centered cancer care delivery. The standards focus on seven domains of cancer care: patient engagement, access to care, evidence-based medicine, equitable and comprehensive team-based care, quality improvement, goals of care/palliative care/EOL care discussions and chemotherapy safety.

Through OMH standards, cancer care teams are evaluated on a single measurement of high-quality care, as opposed to various sets of specific standards that are usually determined by payers. This united set of care delivery standards creates a more efficient and cost-effective routine of care versus previous time-consuming, duplicative, inefficient and subjective measurements for high-quality care.

High-quality, value-based care promotes a high level of efficiency that transforms the provider, patient, and payer’s relationships. Streamlining the standards across oncology practices reduces the administrative burden for practices, demonstrates to payers that meeting evidence-backed measurement of high-quality cancer care can result in efficiencies and cost savings and supports patients with value-based care catered to their wants, needs and experiences.

A patient-first approach also addresses health equity. Reducing burdens to patients—such as unnecessary delays to initiating treatment, addressing costs and directly engaging patients—makes cancer care more accessible, especially to those who traditionally distrust healthcare providers and are difficult to reach. Health equity continues to be a major focus within community oncology, as value-based patient-centered care propels equity by directly listening to the requirements of the patient. The Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification program represents an important moment in cancer care, as payment models continue to shift from paying for services rendered to paying for value gained. OneOncology is proud to support our practice partners in this pilot project—and all our partners overall—to make high-quality cancer care more accessible and sustainable.