MCLEAN, Va. and BEDFORD, Mass., Sept. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The MITRE Corporation announced a partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), its nonprofit subsidiary CancerLinQ LLC, and Intermountain Healthcare to develop and pilot M-CODE (Minimal Common Oncology Data Elements), a foundational set of cancer data elements collected from electronic health records (EHRs) that will enable better treatment decisions at the point of care.
The partnership was announced at the Biden Cancer Community Summit held today in Washington, DC. The summit brings together community leaders to focus on improving the cancer journey for patients, their families, and caregivers.
“Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States,” said Jay Schnitzer, MITRE Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. “Our goal is to empower care givers and researchers with new diagnostic and patient care tools to help accelerate a cure for cancer. At MITRE, we are committed to solving the most challenging problems for a safer world.”
MITRE is leveraging its data interoperability experience to develop an M-CODE-based Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) implementation and SMART-on-FHIR application that will extract M-CODE data into reports for care providers and patients for better diagnosis, improved care planning, and empowered decision making.
“This collaboration has the potential to lead to greater interoperability of EHRs and improve quality and care coordination across oncology practices,” said Cory Wiegert, CancerLinQ LLC CEO. “We look forward to working with MITRE and Intermountain to determine its feasibility in a practice setting.”
ASCO and CancerLinQ will provide clinical expertise and leadership in developing, piloting, and endorsing M-CODE. Intermountain Healthcare, as leaders in quality cancer care, will operate test sites for capturing M-CODE data and leveraging tailored reports.
“As an early adopter of CancerLinQ, Intermountain is very excited and well-poised to partner with ASCO, CancerLinQ, and MITRE on this important project,” said Brad Bott, Intermountain Healthcare Operations Director for its Oncology Clinical Program. “Not only do we have the technical capabilities and continuous process improvement culture, but we’re extremely interested in and currently researching and promoting shared decision-making. This is definitely a worthwhile project of mutual interest."
The initiative will set the stage for a broader model of cancer elements, make valuable treatment information available to clinicians and researchers, empower the growth of a national cancer health learning system, and support new research programs.
About ASCO:
Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) is committed to making a world of difference in cancer care. As the world’s leading organization of its kind, ASCO represents nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of the highest-quality patient care, ASCO works to conquer cancer and create a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation. Learn more at www.ASCO.org, explore patient education resources at www.Cancer.Net, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About CancerLinQ LLC
CancerLinQ LLC is a subsidiary of American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. established for the development and operation of the CancerLinQ® initiative. CancerLinQ® is a health information technology platform aimed at enhancing and improving the understanding and treatment of cancer. To learn more, visit www.cancerlinq.org.
About The MITRE Corporation
MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our federally funded R&D centers and public-private partnerships, we work across government to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation. Learn more at MITRE.org.
Betsy Yates
Public Affairs Lead
byates@mitre.org (781) 271-4894