Foley Presents Cancer Center Innovator Award to the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders

Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Fort Worth, Texas as the recipient of its tenth annual Cancer Center Innovator Award. The 2017 award was accepted by Barry Russo, CEO of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

“We are proud to honor Mr. Russo and the entire Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders organization for its leadership in supporting alternative payment arrangements in oncology care,” said Michael Blau, a Foley partner and health care attorney. “They not only lead by example, but also encourage other cancer care providers to explore similar high-quality care initiatives by sharing their learnings from the numerous pilot programs in which they have participated.”

A few initiatives to highlight include:

• United Healthcare episode of care pilot program – The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders participated in the original United Healthcare episode of care pilot program. With the rising cost of oncology care, the program provided a new way of paying for cancer care on a bundled basis with close monitoring of patient quality of care.
• COME HOME initiative –To support improving patient health and quality of care at a lower cost, the Center also participated in the first national oncology medical home (COME HOME) initiative, which included delivering outpatient cancer care along with enhanced access to office-based services. The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders now meets the standards to be a Commission on Cancer certified specialty medical home.
• CMMI Oncology Care Model – As a first-round participant in the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Oncology Care Model, the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders is working to improve the cost-effectiveness and outcomes of chemotherapy by accepting episode of care and performance based bonus payments and providing enhanced services to Medicare beneficiaries. This initiative is considered by many in the industry to be a major transformative force in cancer care payment and delivery.
• Provider initiatives – The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders is currently involved in a shared savings contract with Aetna. It is also working to create a value-based contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. These partnerships improve quality of care and reduce medical costs through utilization based on evidence-based guidelines and data sharing to improve patient health.

“We are honored to receive Foley’s 2017 Cancer Center Innovator Award,” said Russo. “With the rising cost of oncology care, our team sees growing importance to seek out opportunities to provide outstanding quality of care while lowering the cost of cancer care through these pilot programs and initiatives. It is great to see others in the industry learning from our experience and getting on the bandwagon.”

Foley’s Cancer Center Innovator Award was established in 2007 to recognize top innovators in the business of community cancer care delivery. This year’s selection was made by the Cancer Center Business Summit Advisory Board and co-hosts. The co-hosts include the Association of Community Cancer Centers, NantHealth, Cancer Center Business Development Group, and Foley’s Michael Blau.

The 2017 Cancer Center Business Summit brings together industry leaders to explore best practices to adapt to change, and position for future success, in the business of community oncology care. For more information about this year’s event, please visit http://cancerbusinesssummit.com.