Three community oncology practices join forces to ‘transform’ cancer care delivery

Three community oncology practices have formed OneOncology, a company with a mission to improve cancer care through patient-centric and technology-driven innovations.

OneOncology’s founding practices are Tennessee Oncology, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, and West Cancer Center.

“All of these partners, these founders, have collected around a vision to create a patient-centric approach to the transformation of cancer care, to radically transform the ways patients experience cancer care and really begin to achieve meaningful success across the areas of cost, quality, access and patient experience,” Tracy Bahl, president and CEO of OneOncology, said during a press call.

OneOncology will unite over 225 oncology providers at more than 60 locations through the three founding practices. The goal is to incorporate additional community practices in the future.

The new company will provide capital, access to technology, purchasing services and standardization to address needs that otherwise would have fallen on the individual centers.

“This is a perfect time to launch OneOncology because of the transition to value-based care that we’re all facing and that we enthusiastically embrace and endorse,” Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, executive director of West Cancer Center, said. “This [transition] requires new infrastructure that even experienced practices like the three founders, all of whom have been in business for many years, need.

“We believe OneOncology is the perfect vehicle to enhance this transformation,” he added.

Private-equity firm General Atlantic invested $200 million in OneOncology.

Flatiron Health, a health care technology and services company, will serve as the technology partner across the centers.

More than half of those diagnosed with cancer in the United States are treated in a community-based setting. Therefore, there is a strong urge to keep care in the community.

“The future of cancer care is coming to the community,” Bahl said. “The pace of innovation in drug therapy, in medical technology and in practice approaches is challenging even for the largest centers to keep up with.”

OneOncology aims to provide financial support to existing services and to aid in growth that will benefit patients, while also reducing costs for patients and the health care system.

“Without us doing anything else, community oncology generally produces cost outcomes 60% less than you might experience in the traditional setting,” Bahl said. “We believe that with the advances we have going forward, we can actually improve that and that situates us well for the value-based care system.”

In line with its goal of being patient-centric, OneOncology intends to support rural community cancer centers.

“We have 32 sites of delivery, many of which are in rural locations,” Jeff Patton, MD, CEO of Tennessee Oncology, said. “As you might imagine that’s a challenge, but we’re committed to maintaining those sites of delivery and this is the platform that allows us to do business as usual. It’s going go to take innovation to continue care at these rural sites, but we’re committed to it.”

Through the three founding practices, OneOncology hopes to lead significant change in the way community oncology care is delivered.

“We stand at the very beginning of what we believe will be an exciting and meaningful transformation in the way cancer care is delivered in this country, and we’ll have a very tangible outcome to the patients that we all provide,” Bahl said. – by Cassie Homer