ASCO released a major update to its Patient-Centered Oncology Payment (PCOP) model, an alternative payment model designed to support transformation in cancer care delivery and reimbursement, while ensuring that patients with cancer have access to high-quality, high-value care.
PCOP addresses an array of pressures facing cancer care, including the growing financial burdens on patients and families and increasing administrative burdens on practices as a result of expanding utilization management requirements.
Howard A. “Skip” Burris, III, MD, FACP, FASCO
“As oncologists, we have a responsibility to shape the future of America’s cancer care system,” said ASCO President Howard A. “Skip” Burris, III, MD, FACP, FASCO. “We’re stewards of our patients’ well-being, and ASCO’s model reflects everything we have learned in over 50 years of work to advance patient care. It is a complete solution for transforming cancer care delivery and reimbursement and puts the needs of patients front and center.”
ASCO’s model transforms cancer care using three major approaches:
- Improved care delivery and coordination through an oncology medical home framework, which has shown improved outcomes and reduced costs
- A performance-based reimbursement system that relies on patient-centered standards and transitions to bundled payments
- Consistent delivery of high-quality care using clinical pathways that adhere to ASCO criteria.
Inherent in PCOP’s design is its emphasis on implementing the model in “communities”— multidisciplinary networks of oncology providers and practices; federal, state, and private payers; employers; and regional health networks—aligned to support patient-centered care.
The model accommodates diverse practices and care settings and guides participants through the implementation process. ASCO has projected significant potential for PCOP to yield cost savings—up to 8% across the health-care system.
Late in 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation issued a Request for Information on next steps following completion of the agency’s Oncology Care Model (OCM) in 2021. ASCO included PCOP in its submission, asserting that it offers a way to expand the OCM experience and is an appropriate next step in innovation after the OCM performance periods conclude.
Visit asco.org/ascoaction for more information. ■
© 2020. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
