Case Study Highlights Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Success as a Top-Ranking Performer in the Oncology Care Model

Fort Myers, Fla., April 18, 2022 — Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC (FCS) recently published a case study showcasing the practice’s multi-year track record of delivering savings as a participant in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) when compared to OCM and non-OCM practices nationally. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) developed the OCM to positively shift oncology care by encouraging practices to improve care quality, reduce costs and ultimately be held accountable for their performance against a core set of standardized measures. FCS has delivered on its commitment to be the leader in value-based care oncology, standing out amongst more than 125 participating practices nationwide as having successfully reduced Medicare expenditures by nearly $170 million in aggregate.

The study further details improved outcomes and experience for patients following the implementation of enhanced supportive services such as 24/7 clinician access, patient navigation, and additional care management services delivered through multi-modal, multi-channel communications to meet patients where, when and how they want to be met, resulting in sharp reductions in unnecessary or avoidable emergency department visits.  FCS’ multimillion-dollar investment into scaling a purpose-built molecular laboratory spurred rapid adoption of genetic sequencing and has led to improvements with respect to timeliness of care and care management planning, enabling providers to effectively prescribe targeted therapies based on a tumor’s genetic profile. FCS also pioneered a shift in the utilization of biosimilar drugs during a time when prices for the brand-recognizable clinical equivalents were surging, significantly lowering the drug-related expenditures.

“We are extremely proud of our consistent performance throughout OCM, and these results firmly support the fact that community oncology works – for payors, for providers and most importantly, for patients” remarked FCS Chief Executive Officer Nathan H. Walcker. “An outsized contributor to our success in OCM and other commercial-based models has been our people. Scaling a collaborative, patient-focused culture is hard work given the sheer complexity of oncology. Looking ahead we are hopeful that next-gen models will align stakeholders not around short-term tradeoffs for transitory ‘savings’, but rather a commitment to shared incentives by placing the patient at the center of each and every decision.”

“Our success in this program is indicative of the resources, dedication, investment and overall integrity of FCS’ commitment to healthcare reform,” says FCS President and Managing Physician Michael Diaz, MD. “Patients can find reassurance knowing that we have put elaborate measures in place to not only utilize state of the art technologies and therapeutics to maximize treatment outcomes but optimize care delivery to positively influence their overall cancer journey.”

Read the full case study here.