Story Summary: This LOI formalizes ongoing discussions that began more than a year ago between Sutter Health and Stanford Health Care to expand and enhance clinical integration among their existing, high quality services, with a shared goal of providing patients and their families with coordinated, seamless cancer care in the East Bay. The two organizations are also in discussions about a potential joint venture that would operate an outpatient cancer center in the East Bay.
Sutter Health and Stanford Health Care have signed a letter of intent to formalize discussions focused on opportunities to jointly provide cancer care for patients and their families in the East Bay. Initial activities between the two entities will focus on ways to build upon current and developing cancer related services and care settings already in place within the two organizations’ respective networks, to explore ways to increase access to cancer clinical trials and to make other enhancements to choice and quality of care for East Bay patients and their families.
Discussions also include potential plans to develop an integrated, multi-disciplinary cancer center in the East Bay, modeled on the highly successful Stanford Cancer Center South Bay concept. This outpatient cancer center would serve as a local hub for cancer care and offer East Bay patients and their families access to the most advanced, complete and coordinated care – from screening through survivorship.
“With this new collaboration, Stanford Health Care aims to bring the full complement of its world-class cancer prevention, treatment and clinical research programs to serve patients in the East Bay,” said David Entwistle, president and CEO of Stanford Health Care. “Partnering with Sutter Health, with its well-established, high-quality cancer program in the area, is the ideal opportunity, and we are pleased to move forward with them in this effort.”
“As an integrated network, Sutter Health has proudly provided accessible, high-quality care to our patients across the East Bay for over a century, and we’re excited to build on this legacy,” said Sarah Krevans, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “This announcement is an example of Sutter and Stanford’s shared commitment as not-for-profit health systems to provide quality, compassionate and convenient care, and to do so in a way that delivers the best outcomes for our patients and our community.”
Julie Petrini, president of Bay Area Sutter Hospitals, agreed: “A collaboration between Sutter and Stanford is a natural fit, and one that will establish an unprecedented and easily accessible suite of services for all East Bay cancer patients. We are excited to formalize our discussions with Stanford through this LOI.”
Complete cancer care, delivered locally
The intent of the collaboration is to increase access to high quality, exceptional cancer care for patients as close to home as possible, by building on the integrated care networks of both Sutter Health and Stanford Medicine, with Stanford’s extensive oncology expertise. Both entities have a deep commitment to caring for the whole patient, and together their efforts will surround patients and their families with a full spectrum of coordinated, supportive care. The new East Bay oncology collaboration would help local patients simplify care coordination, reduce travel time, and focus on treatment and recovery.
New opportunities for innovative treatments
The treatment of cancer is a rapidly evolving field. A collaboration between Stanford and Sutter Health would greatly improve access for East Bay cancer patients to new opportunities for clinical care and clinical research, including an expanded array of clinically relevant local and offsite industry- and investigator-initiated clinical trials.
“Working with Sutter Health in the East Bay will broaden opportunities for participation in some of the world’s most innovative cancer treatment trials,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine. “With breakthroughs in the detection, prevention and treatment of cancer and its side effects, Stanford Medicine’s physician-scientists are actively investigating new therapies and working to make sure that they are available to everyone who needs them. This collaboration presents a real opportunity for improvement for patients, and a benefit to the progress of cancer science, as more inclusion enables more discoveries.”
Stanford Health Care and Sutter Health also believe that this opportunity could greatly enhance their shared commitment to health equity by improving access to exceptional care for underrepresented minorities in the community who often lack access to advanced care options and the ability to participate in clinical trials.
Nationally recognized cancer and integrated healthcare
To this collaboration, Stanford Health Care brings its strength as a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and its leadership as one of the founding members of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of 26 of the world’s leading cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer.
Stanford Health Care is consistently recognized as one of the top hospitals in America for cancer care by US News & World Report, recognized for overall quality and safety by Vizient in 2018, and awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
A collaboration with Stanford and Sutter Health would also build on the efficient and high quality of care for which Sutter Health’s integrated network is consistently recognized, and would provide East Bay residents with seamless coordination of cancer care and support services from one caregiver to another.
Four hospitals within Sutter Health, including Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (ABSMC), have been recognized as top hospitals in California by US News & World Report. ABSMC has also received the highest rating (5 Stars) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Quality Ratings. Additionally, Sutter Health includes many of California’s top-performing, highest quality physician organizations.
###
About Stanford Health Care
Stanford Health Care seeks to heal humanity through science and compassion, one patient at a time, through its commitment to care, education and discovery. Stanford Health Care delivers clinical innovation across its inpatient services, specialty health centers, physician offices, virtual care offerings and health plan programs. Stanford Health Care is part of Stanford Medicine, a leading academic health system that includes the Stanford School of Medicine and Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. Stanford Medicine is renowned for breakthroughs in treating cancer, heart disease, brain disorders, and surgical and medical conditions. Learn more at stanfordhealthcare.org.
About Sutter Health
Sutter Health is more than 60,000 people strong, thanks to its integrated network of clinicians, employees and volunteers. Grounded in its not-for-profit mission, Sutter Health’s team members’ partner to provide access to high quality, affordable care for more than 3 million Northern Californians through its network of hospitals, medical foundations, urgent and walk-in care centers, home health and hospice services.
For more information about the Sutter Health network visit: sutterhealth.org | facebook.com/sutterhealth | youtube.com/sutterhealth | twitter.com/sutterhealth.
About Stanford Cancer Center South Bay
Stanford Cancer Center is recognized worldwide for advanced clinical care, scientific research and technological inventions. Stanford Cancer Center South Bay unites world-class specialists and sophisticated technology in a spacious, serene, state-of-the-art building designed by patients, for patients. We offer the most advanced, innovative treatments, access to more than 300 clinical trials, and the ease and efficiency of a single, convenient location. From diagnosis through treatment, service and support delivery, and lifelong follow-up care, we treat the whole patient – mind, body and spirit.