McKesson Specialty Health and The US Oncology Network Expand Agreement with The National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Adding New Disease States to Value Pathways

McKesson Specialty Health and The US Oncology Network (The Network) have expanded their agreement with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), adding five additional disease states to Value Pathways powered by NCCN. Value Pathways powered by NCCN are evidence-based treatment recommendations for oncology delivered through McKesson Specialty Health’s industry-leading clinical quality and regimen support system, Clear Value PlusSM. New cancers added include bladder, esophageal, gastric, kidney, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), making Clear Value Plus even more robust. The point-of-care support tool now provides detailed information on 27 different disease states. The expanded relationship also calls for the addition of up to 15 more disease states in the next three years and more in the future, ensuring that the more than 1,500 providers utilizing Clear Value Plus will have quick and easy access to the very latest information and research on each cancer.

“Our extended agreement with NCCN is part of our ongoing commitment to provide Clear Value Plus users access to the most recent evidence available on various cancers, enabling them to deliver high-quality care,” said Marcus Neubauer, MD, vice president and medical director, Payer and Clinical Services, McKesson Specialty Health and The US Oncology Network. “The agreement also demonstrates our strong relationship with NCCN, which will only strengthen as we continue to collaborate in the future to advance cancer care by developing Value Pathways for more diseases and disciplines.”

Both Value Pathways powered by NCCN and NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) are integrated into the clinical workflow and Electronic Health Records by Clear Value Plus. NCCN Guidelines are the most comprehensive and most frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine, and they are recognized across the industry as the gold standard in cancer care. Clear Value Plus is the only technology that includes the full logic of NCCN Guidelines®. The rigorous logic of these Guidelines is embedded as the foundational evidence source within Clear Value Plus, supplemented by the collaboratively-developed Value Pathways. Grounded in clinical quality and evidence-based medicine, Value Pathways powered by NCCN helps ensure patients receive high-quality care that offers the best opportunity for positive outcomes, while also recognizing the importance of value in determining appropriate treatment options.

“NCCN is pleased to expand our collaboration with McKesson Specialty Health and further enhance Value Pathways powered by NCCN,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, chief executive officer, NCCN. “In supporting this expanded agreement, both NCCN and McKesson recognize the value of having evidence-based NCCN Guidelines recommendations at the point of care facilitated through technology to achieve the best outcomes for patients with cancer.”

Value Pathways powered by NCCN and Clear Value Plus enable practices to succeed in today’s evolving value-based environment by driving high-quality care and confirming that selected therapies are consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines as required by value-based programs, including the Oncology Care Model. In addition to tracking pathways adherence, Clear Value Plus also supports value-based care by integrating financial information, benchmarking and providing up to date reporting on key performance metrics, such as regimen utilization history and program participation for individual providers, a single site or across an entire practice. Additionally, the increased financial transparency provided by Value Pathways and Clear Value Plus allows evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of different treatment options with similar outcomes, an important element in value-based care.

“Value Pathways powered by NCCN and Clear Value Plus enable us to deliver high-quality, evidence-based care that gives our patients the best chance for a positive result and a good quality of life while providing high value to both patients and payers,” said Debra Patt, MD, MPH, MBA, vice president of Public Policy and Academic Affairs for Texas Oncology, an affiliate of The US Oncology Network. Dr. Patt recently authored a study on the topic of clinical decision support presented at ASCO Quality titled, “Measuring quality in cancer care: Utilizing a clinical decision support system to assess pathway adherence.”

Dr. Patt concluded, “The expanded agreement with NCCN strengthens our ability to deliver excellent care by providing access to the most recent evidence available for five more disease states with many more to come, impacting patient care today and into the future.”