The US Oncology Network announced today that it will join forces with Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS) and Cancer Centers of the Carolinas (CCC) in The Network's first cancer program management services relationship directly with a hospital system. This relationship, built around a long-term comprehensive services agreement, aims to continue to improve the delivery of cancer care to patients throughout upstate South Carolina.
In the coming months, Greenville Hospital System and Cancer Centers of the Carolinas, a community oncology practice which has been United in Healing with The US Oncology Network for over a decade, will fully integrate their operations while benefitting from a comprehensive suite of management services available through The US Oncology Network. This includes the benefits of participation in US Oncology Research and McKesson Specialty Health's drug distribution and technology offerings, including the top-ranked iKnowMed oncology electronic health record system and its integrated drug inventory management system, Lynx Mobile. Furthermore, the arrangement will provide program support, patient navigation, oncology liaison expertise, evidence-based protocols, Lean Six Sigma process and quality management services, information services and performance benchmarking services, all necessary to achieve a regional cancer center of excellence.
"We are excited to continue our relationship with The US Oncology Network and McKesson Specialty Health in this new way and are particularly thrilled to be on the forefront of The US Oncology Network's hospital collaboration strategy." said Michael D. Zurenko, MD, President of Cancer Centers of the Carolinas. "With this integration, we believe that we can do more for our patients and our communities by coming together to leverage our research, patient care services, patient and family support services, community outreach and prevention programs to provide sophisticated, personalized cancer care to our patients."
Through Greenville Hospital System's management services relationship, Cancer Centers of the Carolinas' physicians will continue to participate in the collaborative activities offered through The US Oncology Network and McKesson Specialty Health will provide management services across GHS' cancer offerings including outpatient medical, radiation and gynecologic oncology services with a special focus on the integration of ambulatory and acute care transitions within the cancer care program.
"We recognized early on the significant value that McKesson Specialty Health and The US Oncology Network could bring to an integrated academic health system that is creating a destination cancer center," said Malcolm Isley, GHS Vice President for Strategic Services. "The leadership is committed to working with GHS to adapt the excellent management and administrative services they already provide to complement those that exist within GHS. We are excited about the ability to leverage the full resources of GHS, CCC, McKesson Specialty Health and The US Oncology Network to dramatically improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer."
Greenville Hospital System, Cancer Centers of the Carolinas and US Oncology have collaborated on cancer care for the past 10 years and with The Network's increasing focus on collaboration with hospitals to the benefit of all parties, this is a natural progression of that relationship. All three organizations have similar visions of creating a regional center of excellence for cancer care; including a state-of-the art cancer center on the Greenville Memorial Medical Center Campus with National Cancer Institute designation. Through the partnership, CCC physicians and McKesson Specialty Health will all play integral roles in developing direction and goals for the GHS cancer program. Additionally, CCC physicians will have the opportunity to increase their involvement in the full spectrum of GHS research and teaching programs, which includes undergraduate and graduate medical education.
"The combination of the expertise of The US Oncology Network with a strong relationship with hospitals to deliver care in the community setting is a win for all parties, including patients," said Chuck Dowling, SVP, Physician Services, McKesson Specialty Health. "I look forward to creating more similar relationships with the goal of helping to advance cancer care."
About Greenville Hospital System
Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS) is committed to medical excellence through research and education and is accredited by The Joint Commission. It offers patients a sophisticated network of expertise and technologies through its five medical campuses, tertiary medical center, research and education facilities, community hospitals, physician practices (University Medical Group) and numerous specialty facilities in upstate South Carolina. The 1,268-bed system is home to 14 medical residency and fellowship programs and the state's largest number of active clinical research trials - 613. For the third consecutive year, its flagship Greenville Memorial Hospital has been ranked among the nation's top 50 hospitals in a specialty area in U.S. News' 2011-12 publication of America's Best Hospitals . In July 2012, GHS will welcome the charter class of its four-year medical school, University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville. Visit ghs.org for more information.
About Cancer Centers of the Carolinas
Cancer Centers of the Carolinas (CCC) is a community-based practice with 26 board-certified oncologists practicing in multiple locations across the Upstate of South Carolina. CCC is the Upstate's largest cancer care group treating more than 6,000 new patients annually. CCC specializes in medical oncology, radiation oncology, gynecologic oncology, hematology, blood and marrow transplantation, diagnostic radiology and clinical research. The National Cancer Institute awarded Cancer Centers of the Carolinas a research grant and designated CCC as a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP). CCC's Blood and Marrow Transplant Program has achieved continuous accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy for 10 years. CCC is an affiliate of The US Oncology Network, the world's largest health care network dedicated exclusively to cancer treatment and research. Visit our website at www.CancerCarolinas.com .
About The US Oncology Network
The US Oncology Network is one of the nation's largest networks of community-based oncology physicians dedicated to advancing cancer care in America. Like-minded physicians are united through The Network around a common vision of expanding patient access to high-quality, integrated cancer care in communities throughout the nation. Leveraging healthcare information technology, shared best practices, refined evidence-based medicine guidelines, and quality measurements, physicians affiliated with The US Oncology Network are committed to advancing the quality, safety, and science of cancer care to improve patient outcomes. The US Oncology Network is supported by McKesson Specialty Health , a division of McKesson Corporation focused on empowering a vibrant and sustainable community patient care delivery system to advance the science, technology and quality of care. For more information, visit www.usoncology.com .
About McKesson Specialty Health
McKesson Specialty Health, a division of McKesson Corporation , empowers the community patient care delivery system to advance the science, technology and quality of care. Through innovative clinical, research, business and operational solutions, facilitated by integrated technology systems, we improve the financial health of our customers and help them provide quality care for patients. For more information, visit www.McKessonspecialtyhealth.com .
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. We partner with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visithttp://www.McKesson.com .