A session at the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 48^th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit brought together consultants and leaders to discuss industry reconfiguration and consolidation trends and their impact on oncology.

The panel was moderated by Michael Kolodziej, MD, vice president and chief innovation officer at ADVI Health, LLC, and featured Lee Blansett, principal of Proximity Health; Harlan Levine, MD, president, Strategy and Business Ventures, City of Hope National Medical Center; Paul Martino, cofounder and chief growth officer, VillageMD; and Brian Wydra, senior vice president, Oncology and Infusion for OptumCare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.

The panel discussed value propositions of 3 different business models and how each improves cancer care services in terms of access, quality, outcomes, and cost. In addition, they discussed how other models may impact the delivery of cancer care in the future.

The session opened with a conversation on the historic model of hospitals and health systems and community oncology clinics competing for market share, whether they think this is still the case today, and where they expect the trend to move in the future.

Lee Blansett gave an overview of consolidation trends in the industry, highlighting the concept of payers gaining control over provider networks. Blansett stated that payers will be able “channel patients into highly affiliated, highly aligned pathways-driven networks in oncology,” allowing them to select 1 to 2 providers in a market and drive business to them, increasing their leverage to decrease prices. This concept will not be limited to payers. They expect many major regional health systems will adopt this strategy as well.

Harlan Levine discussed access barriers for patients with cancer. He gave an overview of the launch of AccessHope, a program offered through employers that offers consultations to patients with complex cancer without requiring them to travel. This was an aim to combat geographic inequities that required patients to travel long distances in order to receive world-class care and take part in clinical trials. Northwestern Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Emory’s Winship Cancer Center are now part of AccessHope.

When asked how City of Hope plans to change the landscape of cancer care, Dr Levine said they have great interest in addressing health disparities both in patient outcomes and access to clinical trials.