OREANDA-NEWS. October 02, 2013. 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."