By the end of this year, it is
estimated that more than
1.6 million new cases of cancer
will be diagnosed nationwide.
A significant proportion of these
articipating in this innovative program with CMS is part
“
patients will be 65 years old or
of Atlantic Health System’s commitment to improving the
quality and value of care we provide to our communities,”
says
Eric
Whitman, MD, Medical Director of the Carol G.
older, and Medicare beneficiaries. Simon Cancer
Centers of Atlantic Health System. “We are excited
to be included in this groundbreaking initiative in healthcare, as it
To help address the unique needs will ultimately improve patient care across the country.”
“The Medicare population is over the age of 65, and these are
the patients who typically need the most assistance, beyond just
of this patient population, the
treating cancer. We need to find ways to improve communication
between patients and providers, and find ways to give patients more
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid information
about their treatment than people have ever gotten
before – information about treatment goals, possible complications,
Services (CMS) has launched the supportive care in the community, costs, and more,” says Whitman.
To that end, the practices participating in CMS’s five-year
Oncology Care Model will provide treatment that follows
Oncology Care Model initiative,
nationally recognized clinical guidelines for beneficiaries
undergoing chemotherapy, with an emphasis on person-centered
a patient-centered program that
care. This includes arranging for timely, coordinated treatment;
follow-up care with the members of a patient’s medical team
encourages higher quality, more
(surgeons, radiation oncologists, other specialists, etc.) who
support the beneficiary through their cancer treatment; and
making sure that data from scans, blood test results, and other
coordinated cancer care. This
tests are received in advance of patient appointments so that
patients do not need to schedule additional visits. Medicare
summer, it was announced that
patients also will receive access to 24/7 care when needed,
navigation services, and access to additional patient resources such
Atlantic Medical Group and
as support groups, pain management services, and clinical trials.
“The CMS grant specifies what they will be measuring but
not
what we have to do to change things – they left that up to us,
Atlantic Health System’s
so we have the freedom to create and try different things. This is
a wonderful opportunity to be creative, which is always exciting.
Carol G. Simon Cancer Centers
We are thinking of the Oncology Care Model as a pilot program,
which we can then extend for the benefit of all patients. We
think this program will make a real difference for our patients
have been selected to participate
and families as they receive care,” adds Whitman. ❖
in the new program.
Chilton Medical Center offers patients multiple access points to
michael jung/getty images/istockphotos
P
oncology practices in Hewitt, Morristown, Pompton Plains, Sparta,
Springfield, Summit and West Orange. For more information,
call 973-831-5025.
CHILTON MAGAZINE WINTER 2016