The University of Toledo Health’s Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center and University of Toledo Physicians were selected to participate in a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services pilot program designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of oncology specialty care.
UT Health will participate in the five-year program along with 195 other physician groups as a part of to accelerate cancer research. The Oncology Care Model pilot began July 1 and will end June 20, 2021.
The goal of the Oncology Care Model is to enhance the care delivery process through nationally recognized clinical guidelines for beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy. These enhanced services could include:
• Coordination of appointments with providers within and outside the oncology practice to ensure timely delivery of diagnostic and treatment services;
• 24/7 access to care when needed;
• Arrangement of diagnostic scans and follow-up with other members of the medical team such as surgeons, radiation oncologists and other specialists that support the beneficiary through cancer treatment;
• Ensuring data from scans, blood work and other tests are received in advance of patient appointments; and
• Access to additional patient resources, such as support groups, pain management services and clinical trials.
“The Dana Cancer Center’s treatment plans and programs are designed to provide our patients with this sort of comprehensive care and support,” said Chris Kosinski, clinic manager at the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center. “We are proud to be a part of this national best practice model. We continually seek to improve patient care, and the Oncology Care Model will provide oversight and guidance as we work to facilitate advanced treatment and recovery from one of the most aggressive and invasive diseases we fight today.”
The Oncology Care Model represents a shift of basing provider payments on the quality of care delivered rather than quantity. Practices are encouraged to improve care and lower costs through episode- and performance-based payments that reward high-quality patient care. The model is one of the first Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services physician-led specialty care models and builds on key points from other innovative programs and private-sector models.
“The feedback we receive from the data collected during this initiative will serve to strengthen and optimize our nationally accredited oncology program,” said Allen Seifert, director of the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center. “We are proud to be a part of a group of providers dedicated to putting the patients’ needs first.”
In 2015, the cancer program at UT Health was one of only 47 cancer providers to earn the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. The award recognizes cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing quality patient care. Additionally, the center was named one of “100 hospitals and health systems with great oncology programs” by Becker’s Hospital Review.
