OhioHealth recently announced that the health system is taking steps for several OhioHealth hospitals, including Marion General Hospital, to become certified members of MD Anderson Cancer Network™, a program of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. When finalized, this collaboration will help advance cancer care in the communities that OhioHealth serves while still keeping the care local for patients and their families.
OhioHealth patients will see certified physicians who use evidence-based guidelines and treatment plans developed by MD Anderson experts. For 10 of the past 12 years, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in the “Best Hospitals” survey published by U.S. News & World Report.
“This is groundbreaking for OhioHealth cancer patients,” said Dave Blom, president and chief executive officer of OhioHealth. “This selective relationship between OhioHealth and MD Anderson Cancer Network will allow our patients to receive leading cancer care from their OhioHealth physicians and caregivers. Caregivers they’ve built long-standing relationships with. This gold-standard of care can only enhance the patient experience while still keeping their care close to home. This is care that in the past, patients and their families may have had to travel to receive. OhioHealth and MD Anderson believe that keeping care local, whenever possible, is in the best interest of cancer patients and their families. We are committed to keeping cancer care in the patient’s community.”
As an MD Anderson Cancer Network certified member, OhioHealth will be part of a best practices and quality improvement program. The program will offer certified OhioHealth hospitals and their associated oncology physicians access to MD Anderson guidelines for the purpose of diagnosing and improving the quality of cancer care provided.
“There’s no doubt MD Anderson is known, world-wide, for its cancer care. There’s no doubt OhioHealth has a strong reputation in central Ohio for treating cancer with a high-touch, patient-centered approach,” said Praveen Dubey, MD, OhioHealth Radiation Oncologist and Chair of the OhioHealth Oncology Clinical Guidance Council, a group of oncologists that focuses on improving the quality of care while reducing the cost. “Now, we have a way for the two to join forces and bring a new approach to cancer care for our patients.”
Over the next year and a half, several OhioHealth member hospitals and their oncologists will be going through the MD Anderson Cancer Network certification process; in that time, OhioHealth eligible hospitals and physicians will be working with MD Anderson Cancer Network staff to prepare for the official start of the relationship.
Once the certification process is complete, OhioHealth will be a certified member of MD Anderson Cancer Network, providing OhioHealth cancer patients with “world-renowned cancer care and the compassion and kindness they’ve come to expect from OhioHealth.”
About Marion Online News
