Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/417381
cLaren Health Care and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI) have joined forces to create a new model for cancer care in Michigan with a vision to provide an efficient, integrated statewide network that provides everything patients need for personalized cancer care. Now the largest in Michigan, the McLaren Net- work comprises 18 community based cancer centers; 12 acute-care hospitals; Michigan's only proton-therapy facility; and a NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center and cancer hospital affili- ated with Wayne State University. The largest cancer care network in Michigan chooses Elekta platform to advance patient- centered, information- guided care. "We believe that, in the end, we will be one of the most integrated, consistently aligned cancer delivery networks in the country, forming the new bonds of partnership between community and academic oncology practice." - Justin Klamerus, MD, MMM Chief Quality Officer and Executive Vice President for KCI "As cancer care becomes more com- plex, the ability of community hospitals and individual cancer centers to deliver the full continuum and complement of cancer services is increasingly difficult," says Justin Klamerus, MD, MMM, Chief Quality Officer and Executive Vice President for KCI . "Cancer cen- ters are seeking alignment with health systems because they need access to a distributed network of services that go beyond what they alone can do. That's why KCI, one of 41 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers, was interested in becoming part of McLaren Health Care. We believe that, in the end, we will be one of the most integrated, consistently aligned cancer delivery networks in the country, forming new bonds of partnership between communi- ty and academic oncology practice." The cornerstone of KCI's vision is the ability to effectively collect and manage clinical, operational and business data across a multitude of cancer clinics and centers to help drive quality and to continuously improve the performance of the cancer system. To support this mission, McLaren Health Care knew it needed a truly integrated oncology information system for the delivery of efficient, cost-effective and high quality patient-centered care. "We knew we needed a global leader to help us connect our facilities into a single information system that would allow our patients and providers to be linked throughout the network. Elekta is that partner," Klamerus explained. Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) Must Step Up So far, HIT, touted as solutions for improving the quality and cost-effec- tiveness of healthcare, have actually exacerbated the fragmentation of cancer care. These systems are often fragmented. "The recent Institute of Medicine 1 report attributes the crisis in cancer care in large part to the fragmentation of in- formation, which results in the inability to navigate patients seamlessly through their care experience," says Klamerus. While adoption of electronic health record systems has become more wide spread since the introduction of Mean- ingful Use incentives, these systems are often not connected and do not share information as patients move from one point of care to another. These systems are also very com- plex. Elekta Executive Vice President Todd Powell agrees. "As the number of technologies and solutions to treat cancer has increased, so has the level of complexity. Elekta is working to simplify this complexity by designing software that is responsive, easy to use and designed to ensure interoperability, consistency and flexibility." To realize a new vision of patient-cen- tered cancer care, McLaren is work- ing with Elekta to further develop its platform to respond to the growing complexity in oncology care and to ensure better coordination for patients at every step of their journey. By 2015, all McLaren sites will be transitioned to the MOSAIQ ® Oncology Information System. A Shared Vision Positions Cancer System for Excellence M 1 Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis. (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2013) www.elekta.com 2011, 2012, 2013 Best in KLAS ® : Software and Services *2014 KLAS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. www.KLASresearch.com