Oncology PCMH and accountable cancer care

John D. Sprandio, MD

Consultants in Medical Oncology and Hematology, PC, Drexel Hill, PA

With the passage of healthcare reform and the call for improved quality, value, and demonstration of results, theprimary care patient-centered medical home (PCMH) concept has gained considerable traction across the UnitedStates. In 2004, we began re-engineering our processes of cancer care delivery in our medical oncology practiceconcurrently with the implementation of an oncology-specific electronic medical record and the development ofcustomized software to better suit practice/patient needs and to facilitate data collection. These custom softwareapplications were designed to support comprehensive processes of care that were also required for level III medicalhome recognition by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). We have been tracking our data for thepast 5 years, documenting improvements in disease management—notably the reduction in emergency room utilizationand hospital admissions. We have engaged local and national payers with the goal of developing collaborative pilotprograms. Furthermore, we are establishing formalized relationships with other like-minded medical oncology andprimary care PCMH practices, as we continue to refine our delivery of cancer care within an oncology PCMH model.