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Onmark to Hold First National Payor/Provider Forum on 'Improving Performance in Oncology Care'

Posted on: Friday, 15 September 2006, 09:01 CDT

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Onmark, a national group purchasing organization (GPO) for community-based practices, is holding its first National Payor/Provider Forum today in San Francisco. This Forum will bring together community-based oncologists, practice administrators, health plan executives and pharmaceutical company representatives to discuss the movement toward Pay for Performance (P4P) programs, share best practices in delivering patient care and uncover opportunities to align their objectives.

"Community oncology is in the midst of a paradigm shift. Payors and providers face critical medical and reimbursement decisions that will require insight, cooperation and consensus from all parties," said Clark Avery, General Manager of Onmark. "Onmark is convening this first National Payor/Provider Forum to join key stakeholders to discuss issues of common interest and find common ground. The ultimate goal is to improve performance in oncology care in the new quality-driven environment."

The 2006 Onmark National Payor/Provider Forum, the first event of its kind, is being held at the St. Regis Hotel. Attendees will include physicians and practice administrators from leading community oncology practices, representing more than $250 million in total annual drug purchases. Representatives from payor organizations representing more than 70 million members with an estimated $43 billion in annual drug spend will also participate.

Keynote speakers are Alice G. Gosfield, J.D., Principal in Alice G. Gosfield and Associates PC, and Patricia J. Goldsmith, Senior Vice President of Business Development, National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The event is being moderated by Rodger J. Winn, M.D., Director of the National Quality Forum's Cancer Quality of Care Measures Project. Two panel discussions will focus on "Payor/Provider Partnerships" and "Pay for Performance Opportunities in Oncology."

Results of a new national survey of community-based oncologists will also be presented. The survey, which polled community-based oncologists to gauge their reaction to P4P initiatives and their willingness to adopt regimen-based standards, was commissioned by OTN, Onmark's parent company. OTN is a leading physician practice services company and one of the largest distributors of products and services to the community physician market.

Since 2004, Onmark and OTN have held a series of regional Payor/Provider Forums to bring together local community oncology providers and commercial payors to discuss relevant issues, such as the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), and open a dialogue to gain a better understanding of each others' needs. Each meeting included oncologists and practice administrators from both large and small local practices, as well as pharmacy directors, medical directors and network directors from local payor organizations. These regional Forums offered payors and providers an opportunity to meet on neutral ground and converse frankly about issues and challenges they both face. The 2006 Onmark National Payor/Provider Forum is the first of these programs to be conducted at the national level.

"Onmark and OTN are the logical facilitators of the National Payor/Provider Forum and of P4P discussions. We are positioned at the pivotal nexus point between providers and payors and are in a unique position to help bridge the gulf between these two stakeholders," said John Amos, President and CEO of OTN. "Payors and providers may have different objectives and financial agendas, but their common goal is to deliver the best patient care possible within the best economic model possible. By bringing together clinicians and health plans, Onmark and OTN hope to open a dialogue between the two groups that will lead to higher-quality, more cost-effective patient care."

About Onmark

Onmark, an OTN company, is a leading national group purchasing organization (GPO) for community-based practices. It is one of the largest GPOs in the community-based treatment setting, with more than 2,000 members representing more than 3,500 physicians and over $4 billion in annual drug purchases. Through strategic relationships with OTN, pharmaceutical companies and industry experts, Onmark provides its members with access to a full portfolio of competitive contracts for oncology products and medical/surgical supplies, the most aggressive pricing available through OTN, practice management resources, clinical tools and educational programs. For information about the products, services and programs available to Onmark members, visit http://www.onmarkservices.com/.

Onmark

CONTACT: Monique Weston of Onmark, +1-650-871-2108, ormonique.weston@onmarkservices.com; or Jani Bergan of WeissComm Partners,+1-415-946-1064, or jbergan@weisscommpartners.com, for Onmark

Web site: http://www.onmarkservices.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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