Fort Myers, Fla., July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) will continue following the Oncology Care Model (OCM), despite the program’s closure on June 30, 2022, and announces the implementation of a new care management program called Principal Care Management (PCM).
Since its inception in 2018, AON has participated in the OCM, which is a national innovative payment program of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Through its participation, AON’s affiliated practices have provided high-quality enhanced services to Medicare beneficiaries, such as care coordination, navigation and national treatment guidelines. Practices have also reduced the cost of cancer care through payment arrangements that include financial and performance accountability.
AON will continue to follow the OCM structure to maintain its practice transformation operational processes and remain poised for subsequent value-based care models in the future.
“AON practices have experienced the difference that the OCM has made in reducing the cost of care for our patients and boosting the overall sustainability of community oncology,” said AON Chief Medical Officer and acting physician at Genesis Cancer and Blood Institute Stephen “Fred” Divers, MD.
The new care management program, Principal Care Management, will launch today, July 1, across the AON network. It is a separate program from the OCM and is designed to provide care for patients who have a single chronic condition.
“As a practice of AON, we’re excited to continue to provide services for patients requiring ongoing clinical monitoring and care coordination, such as a designated RN Care Manager, that have been proven to benefit both our patients and the practice in general,” said Divers.
“The benefit of the PCM to patients has been phenomenal. They’ve linked me with a care manager who calls to check on me between appointments and calls regularly to monitor my progress,” said AON patient Sandra Roberts. “It’s like having someone in your corner helping to take care of the management of your health with you. They always take the time to answer my questions and to listen and tell me I’m on the right path.”
“Thanks in part to high physician engagement and alignment with our strategic priorities, AON’s affiliated practices have achieved success with the OCM program. We want to continue on that march to improving quality outcomes to enhance our patients’ overall experiences with the PCM program,” said AON Chief Executive Officer Todd Schonherz.
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About American Oncology Network, LLC: (AONcology.com)
American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) is an alliance of physicians and seasoned healthcare leaders partnering to ensure the long-term success of community oncology. Launched in 2018, the rapidly expanding AON network represents 107 physicians and 85 nurse practitioners and physician assistants practicing across 16 states. The executive management team of AON encompasses more than three decades of oncology practice management experience, enabling physicians to focus on what matters most – providing the highest quality care for patients.
The organization provides unique and comprehensive protocols for managing administrative procedures and enhancing ancillary services for its affiliates. AON is able to aggregate volume and attain economies of scale, as it guides its member physicians and practices through the transition to value-based reimbursement models that improve the patient experience and help to reduce the per-capita cost of cancer care.
AON also provides a unique model of physician led, community-based oncology management. With services such as a centralized specialty pharmacy, diagnostics, pathology, fully integrated electronic medical records, a care management team and a variety of financial assistance programs, an alliance with AON ensures that patients’ experiences are at the very pinnacle of cancer care today.
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