Commonwealth Hematology-Oncology
Teaming Up For Cancer Care
Commonwealth Hematology-Oncology, PC, (CHO) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have joined forces to create a new model for cancer care in eastern Massachusetts that combines community-based practices with the advanced cancer care resources of an academic medical center.
The affiliation combines CHO, the largest community-based private cancer practice in New England, with BIDMC Cancer Center’s renowned hematology/oncology, radiation oncology, surgical and research programs in Boston.
“This affiliation delivers the best of both worlds, and delivers it immediately,” said Michael J. Anderson, MD, CHO’s president and chief executive officer. “Patients – especially cancer patients – want to receive top-quality care near their home where it is comfortable, convenient and delivered by familiar faces. When advanced care is needed, they have seamless access to leading-edge treatment from a world class Harvard teaching hospital in Boston.”
Underlying the affiliation is the two organizations' commitment to economic responsibility and their belief that the highest-quality cancer care can be delivered efficiently.
Importantly, Anderson noted, this care can be provided without any new construction of expensive, duplicative facilities. “We are ready today,” he said. “This is a smart use of resources. We are putting all our efforts into delivering top quality, compassionate and efficient care, without the need for new infrastructure.”
The CHO-BIDMC cancer program will have more than 75 physicians in 15 locations, offering a vast array of cancer-fighting resources including advanced imaging systems, infusion centers with 150 chemotherapy chairs, radiation oncology suites, innovative technology, cutting-edge clinical trials and novel treatments. The agreement takes effect immediately.
CHO Chair Jack Evjy, MD, former president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, added that his organization sought a partner very carefully to make sure the fit was right. “We went through months of discussions, and we ended up choosing the exact right partner for us because CHO and BIDMC share the same values. We are very excited about what CHO and BIDMC can build together for patients and families in Massachusetts.”
The affiliation model is unusual in that CHO will retain its independence, autonomy and extensive network of physician offices.
Lowell E. Schnipper, MD, chief of hematology and oncology at BIDMC, noted the relationship between the two organizations began two years ago when physicians began collaborating around patient care at the Commonwealth Atrius Cancer Center in Weymouth.
“Our clinicians know each other and have worked together very productively,” said Schnipper. “This new larger affiliation builds on an already successful relationship and a mutual focus on patient-centered care. Our philosophy is the right care in the right place at the right time.”
“We are delighted to be building relationships with CHO’s oncologists to be able to take better care for our patients today and be there for them tomorrow,” said Stuart Rosenberg, MD, president of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Beth Israel Deaconess Physicians Organization.
“All over the country, health care advocates are seeking new ways of delivering the highest quality care in the most efficient way,” said Paul Levy, BIDMC’s president and CEO. “In this rapidly changing health care environment, we need to be working together to make smart use of existing facilities and other scarce resources. Our affiliation with CHO accomplishes this.”
As affiliated organizations, CHO and BIDMC will share a common electronic medical record system allowing seamless access to information and sparing patients from duplicative tests and imaging. Physicians will share educational opportunities as well as contracting services provided by the Beth Israel Deaconess Physician Organization.
CHO, founded in Quincy and Weymouth in 1996, is the largest community-based, private cancer practice in New England, with 24 physicians and offices in Concord, Dorchester, Haverhill, Lawrence, Leominster, Milton, Newburyport, Plymouth, Quincy, Stoneham, Weymouth and Worcester. Its Weymouth and Newburyport locations are comprehensive cancer centers with radiation oncology facilities as well as consultation rooms and infusion bays for chemotherapy. CHO recently was awarded The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) certification from the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) one of only 23 oncology practices nationwide and the only recipient within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Cancer Center at BIDMC is a comprehensive cancer center and research affiliate of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), and an active participant in many of the National Cancer Institute’s Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE). It is the only program in Massachusetts, and one of only 34 in the country, to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. The Cancer Center provides patient care in Boston, Waltham and Needham.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and consistently ranks among the top four in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox.
Posted June 29, 2010
