OREANDA-NEWS. December 10, 2012. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), The US Oncology Network, and McKesson Specialty Health are collaborating to develop enhanced oncology pathways delivered through innovative technology, which will strengthen standards in evidence-based, high-quality cancer care and enable new forms of transparent provider and payer relationships, reported the press-centre of McKesson.    

Value Pathways powered by NCCN are the next step in a collaboration to deliver a first-of-its-kind clinical quality and regimen support system, building upon a solution initially developed by Proventys, Inc. as CDS Oncology. This workflow-integrated software will allow physicians to assess treatment options consistent with evidence-based standards at the point of care. Value Pathways powered by NCCN, delivered through the clinical quality and regimen support system, is an important step forward in ensuring patients receive the highest quality treatment, while offering options to address the costs of cancer care.

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) — the most comprehensive and most frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine — will serve as the foundational evidence source within the clinical quality and regimen support system and be supplemented by the collaboratively-developed Value Pathways. Anchored in clinical quality and evidence-based medicine, Value Pathways powered by NCCN will build upon The US Oncology Network’s Level I Pathways and help patients receive the highest-quality care with the best opportunity for positive outcomes, while also recognizing the importance of value in determining appropriate treatment options. These pathways will provide payers and employers with quality-based pathways, developed by trusted oncologist-led sources through a transparent process, suitable to drive value-based reimbursement programs.

Leading physicians of The US Oncology Network, supported by McKesson Specialty Health, will work with Guideline Panel oncologists from NCCN Member Institutions to develop the Pathways, which will initially cover 19 tumor types and be expanded to match the breadth of NCCN Guidelines®. Value Pathways powered by NCCN will reflect the collaborative effort of nearly 2,000 physicians and oncology researchers affiliated with NCCN Guidelines Panels and The US Oncology Network. Ongoing development of Value Pathways will be 100-percent concordant with NCCN Guidelines and leverage the pathways development process pioneered by The US Oncology Network’s Level I Pathways and Pathways Task Force.

“NCCN Guidelines are recognized as the gold standard across the industry. Our collaboration builds upon that by pairing them with new Value Pathways powered by NCCN to create a single set of content that we believe will enhance national best practices for optimal patient care and value-based outcomes in a completely transparent process,” said Roy Beveridge, M.D., chief medical officer for McKesson Specialty Health and The US Oncology Network. “The physician-led approach to developing meaningful clinical content – including rigorous peer review and updates based on the best science available – is a natural match between our organizations and our complementary expertise will enable us as an industry to measure, track and drive quality cancer care using the best, most up-to-date medicine.”

Developed by physicians for physicians, Value Pathways powered by NCCN will be available in the spring of 2013 as part of the clinical quality and regimen support system. This first-of-its-kind software will allow physicians to review treatment options and their relevant clinical attributes against both Value Pathways and NCCN Guidelines at the point of care, and integrated within their workflow — creating a new technology and clinical quality standard in oncology. By placing emphasis on outcomes, the system will allow oncologists to access the most recent evidence available in the delivery of high-quality cancer care.

“Through the clinical quality and regimen support system and Value Pathways powered by NCCN, our goal is to enable oncologists to access the most recent evidence available in the delivery of high-quality cancer care,” said Dr. Robert Carlson, incoming chief executive officer of NCCN. “This collaboration provides physicians with up-to-date, peer-reviewed, evidence-based practice guidelines for cancer detection, prevention and risk reduction, biomarkers recommendations, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care for a multitude of disease sites.”

The clinical quality and regimen support system will allow physicians to access evidence-based content at the point of care and will be compatible with multiple leading Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, increasing efficiency within the practice, as well as quality and cost effectiveness.

“We are excited to work with McKesson Specialty Health and The US Oncology Network to offer Value Pathways and the NCCN Guidelines within the clinical quality and regimen support system,” said Patricia J. Goldsmith, executive vice president and chief operating officer for NCCN. “Our guidelines and Level I Pathways have helped clinicians and payers address variations in treatment and improve oncology cost trends through emphasis on the quality of care. We aim to use our combined expertise to continue this mission and enhance care by offering one standard set of content, through a new accessible format.”

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 National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness 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; 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/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; 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.com.