The Network enhances its commitment to providing better care close to home, while practices gain resources to advance quality care and operational efficiency
IRVING, Texas, Jan. 17, 2023 — The US Oncology Network (The Network), the largest organization of its kind dedicated to advancing local cancer care and better patient outcomes, continues to expand its footprint into local communities with the addition of two large multidisciplinary practices, Epic Care and Nexus Health, effective January 1, 2023. Epic Care currently has 21 sites of service located throughout the Northern California Bay Area, with 47 physicians, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, multispecialty surgeons, and other expert providers. Nexus Health has 9 physicians in Santa Fe, New Mexico, representing a wide range of specialties, with plans for expansion in progress.
“We are excited to welcome Epic Care and Nexus Health to The Network,” said Jason Hammonds, president, The US Oncology Network. “With the addition of these well-respected multidisciplinary practices, we are entering new communities and expanding our ability to empower high-quality care that benefits patients, as well as physicians. The wide range of specialties these practices offer enables more comprehensive care, helping to ensure patients can conveniently receive the care they need in their local areas during their entire healing journey.”
Epic Care and Nexus Health will now have access to the expertise and vast resources of The Network that empower practices to succeed during the challenging transition to value-based care. They can utilize The Network’s industry-leading clinical pathways that provide evidence-based treatment options based on efficacy, toxicity, and cost, reducing treatment variability while driving better outcomes and more predictable costs. Providers can also collaborate with their colleagues across The Network, tapping into the collective knowledge and experience of more than 2,000 providers and leverage The Network’s clinical and business consulting services and innovative technologies that support high-quality care, efficient drug management, and revenue cycle optimization.
“By uniting with The US Oncology Network, Epic Care will continue to deliver on our mission of providing a comprehensive patient experience close to home, but now with the backing of one of the largest community oncology networks in the nation,” said Uma Swamy, MD, chief executive officer, Epic Care. “Not only will we have more access to novel, cutting-edge treatments for our patients, we also will gain vast resources and expertise, enabling us to thrive and remain independent during these challenging times.”
Epic Care began more than 30 years ago as a small group of independent hematologists and oncologists and quickly grew into a dynamic, multispecialty organization of 47 physicians located throughout the Northern California Bay Area. Besides the practice’s widely known and highly respected medical oncology, radiation oncology, and hematology services, many other specialties are available, including family and internal medicine, breast health and surgery, general surgery, bariatric (weight-loss) surgery, endocrinology, infectious disease, and plastic and reconstructive surgery. Additionally, other services including lab, theranostics, and diagnostic imaging such as MRI and PET/CT are also available.
“By joining The Network, we strengthen our ability to deliver specialty services in a community setting, giving more patients convenient access to better care,” said Scott Herbert, MD, practice president, Nexus Health. “The organization’s clinical and business expertise, as well as The Network’s technologies, enable high-quality patient care that will help us succeed now and long into the future as we expand our service offerings.”
Nexus Health provides a wide range of specialty care, including oncology, orthopedics, infusion services, and lab operations with the goal of expansion. In 2023, Nexus Health plans to add urology, gynecology, hospitalist medicine, and radiation oncology to the group. The following year, other critical specialties are expected to be added, such as radiology, primary care, breast surgery, gastroenterology, cardiology, pulmonology, physical therapy, nephrology, neurosurgery, and gynecologic oncology. Nexus Health will also look to make visiting specialties, such as bone marrow and liver transplant services, available through the practice.
The physicians of Epic Care and Nexus Health are among many who have recently joined The US Oncology Network. In 2022, The Network, supported by McKesson Corporation, welcomed more than 280 new physicians and advanced practice providers into the organization, substantially increasing the availability of advanced cancer care in local communities while strengthening these providers’ ability to remain independent and viable. This trajectory of strong growth is expected to continue in 2023, driven by the increasing complexity of the value-based landscape.
About The US Oncology Network
Every day, The US Oncology Network (The Network) helps approximately 1,400 independent physicians deliver value-based, integrated care to patients — close to home. Through The Network, these independent doctors come together to form a community of shared expertise and resources dedicated to advancing local cancer care and to delivering better patient outcomes. The Network provides practices with access to coordinated resources, best business practices, and the experience, infrastructure, and support of McKesson Corporation. This collaboration allows the providers in The Network to focus on the health of their patients, while McKesson focuses on the health of their practices. The Network is committed to the success of independent practices, everywhere.