THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), The US Oncology Network and McKesson Specialty Health are pleased to announce agreements to provide future integration with Elekta and Varian that will enhance the ability to provide cancer patients with evidence-based quality care. By integrating with two leading oncology information systems—Elekta’s MOSAIQ® and Varian’s ARIA®—the power of Clear Value Plus will be improved for practices using those platforms.
Value Pathways Powered by NCCN, which are incorporated into the Clear Value Plus software, will expand next year to include radiation oncology. These clinical practice guidelines are jointly developed by McKesson Specialty Health, The US Oncology Network and NCCN to consider efficacy and cost when evaluating treatment options in radiation oncology, building upon the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) and The US Oncology Network’s Level I Pathways.
Integration agreements to help physicians evaluate evidence-based options with several electronic health records (EHRs)
Clear Value Plus, a first-of-its-kind clinical quality and regimen support system, allows physicians to access transparent, evidence-based clinical content at the point of care. It is fully embedded into McKesson Specialty Health’s iKnowMed Generation 2SM EHR and will be integrated with MOSAIQ and ARIA. The agreements to integrate the Elekta and Varian oncology information systems with the Clear Value Plus platform in an open, standards-based integration of technology will provide physicians with access to quality support and reporting solutions, as well as Value Pathways treatment options. Through Value Pathways, physicians can gain access to national best practices for optimal patient care and value-based outcomes that are grounded in clinical evidence and the NCCN Guidelines®.
Value Pathways Powered by NCCN to include radiation oncology
The expansion of Value Pathways to include radiation oncology pathways makes these agreements to integrate with Elekta and Varian especially timely. The new radiation oncology pathways will bring the same level of clinical rigor and value awareness that is delivered through the medical oncology Value Pathways content library. Given the increasing complexity of cancer care and number of radiation treatment options, radiation oncology pathways can be integral in keeping oncologists informed of new developments that may contribute to optimal outcomes.
“As we seek to comprehensively address clinical quality, the addition of radiation oncology pathways is a clear extension of our collaboration,” said Robert W. Carlson, M.D., chief executive officer, NCCN. “Patient outcomes hinge on the availability of consistent, evidence-based guidance. We see radiation oncology pathways as a needed extension of our NCCN Guidelines, which are widely accepted among providers and payers alike.”
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network, The US Oncology Network, and McKesson Specialty Health are committed to advancing quality, value-based cancer care through ongoing collaborative endeavors with all stakeholders in the cancer community. “Working with NCCN allows us to further enhance the delivery of high-quality cancer care,” noted Marcus Neubauer, M.D., medical director, Oncology Services, McKesson Specialty Health. “We are pleased other information system providers recognize the value of NCCN Guidelines and have matched our commitment to support oncologists by including evidence-based content.”
About McKesson Specialty Health
McKesson Specialty Health, a division of McKesson Corporation, empowers the community patient care delivery system by helping community practices advance the science, technology and quality of care. Through innovative clinical, research, business and operational solutions, facilitated by integrated technology systems, we focus on improving the financial health of our customers so they may provide the best care to their patients. For more information, visit www.mckessonspecialtyhealth.com.
About The US Oncology Network
The US Oncology Network is one of the nation’s largest networks of integrated, community-based oncology practices dedicated to advancing high-quality, evidence-based cancer care. A physician-led organization, The US Oncology Network unites like-minded physicians and clinicians around a common vision of improving patient outcomes and quality of life. Leveraging healthcare information technology, shared best practices, evidence-based guidelines and quality measurements, physicians within The US Oncology Network are pioneering new ways to achieve this vision. The US Oncology Network is committed to strengthening patient access to integrated care in local communities across the nation, including collaboration with a variety of payers, hospitals and academic institutions. The US Oncology Network is supported by McKesson Specialty Health, a division of McKesson Corporation focused on empowering a vibrant and sustainable community patient care delivery system. For more information, visit www.usoncology.com.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 23 of the world’s leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. In furtherance of such purposes, NCCN has developed proprietary content for the provision of cancer care, including without limitation, the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium (NCCN Compendium®), the NCCN Chemotherapy Order Templates (NCCN Templates®), as well as other valuable resources.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.
Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients.
