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Onmark Launches Integrated Quality™ Program Focused on Metastatic Cancer & Myeloma Bone TherapySeptember 02, 2009 |
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Program to Measure Adherence to Bisphosphonate Treatment Guidelines South San Francisco, Calif. –September 2, 2009 – Onmark, a leading national group purchasing organization (GPO) for community-based practices and a McKesson Specialty Care Solutions company, has launched a new Integrated Quality (IQ) Program on metastatic cancer & myeloma bone therapy. The objective of this initiative is to evaluate treatment patterns and educate clinicians on appropriate bisphosphonate utilization in breast, prostate and lung cancers as well as multiple myeloma.<span></span> In cancer patients, one of the more common sites of metastasis is to the bone. Bisphosphonates help reduce or delay bone fracture, spinal cord compression and/or the need for radiation and/or surgery associated with multiple myeloma or bone metastases from solid tumors. Quality treatment guidelines, including Onmark’s Bisphosphonate Therapy Treatment Guideline and other national measures, have been established to help practitioners better manage bisphosphonate utilization in appropriate patients. “In analyzing data across hundreds of community-based oncology practices, we see discordance with guidelines for the initiation of bisphosphonates and their duration of therapy in patients with known bone metastases,” notes Kim Bergstrom, Pharm.D., chief clinical officer of McKesson Specialty Care Solutions. “The new Onmark IQ Program will help us understand the ‘why’ around this discordance and determine strategies to better identify patients for treatment and keep them on needed therapy.” The Metastatic Cancer and Myeloma Bone Therapy IQ Program will evaluate treatment patterns focusing on appropriate patient selection and bisphosphonate dosing, frequency, duration and dose adjustment for renal dysfunction. In addition, the program will measure adherence to quality guidelines around administration of bisphosphonates and assessment or calculation of renal function between first and second administration of bisphosphonates for breast cancer patients with bone metastases. This initiative is the fourth IQ Program administered by Onmark in 2009 and the first focused on bisphosphonate therapy. Other IQ programs currently in progress pertain to Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Taxane Use in Metastatic Breast Cancer and Febrile Neutropenia Management. IQ programs leverage information gathered through McKesson’s proprietary Lynx Mobile™ technology to trigger de-identified patient-encounter-specific physician surveys that are completed online. Participating Onmark members earn account credits for providing clinical treatment insights via the surveys. At the conclusion of each program, physicians are presented with a comprehensive results analysis comparing their practice-specific treatment patterns to national guidelines and fellow practitioners. “Onmark’s IQ Program underscores the significance of information and technology in the specialty healthcare arena,” said Mike Cunningham, Pharm.D., vice president and general manager of GPO and Information Services for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions. “These initiatives arm oncology practices with clinical intelligence and empower physicians to drive improvements in the quality of care their patients receive.” About Onmark About McKesson and McKesson Specialty Care Solutions |
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