Fort Myers, Fla., November 25, 2019 — Since its inception in 2017, the American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) has participated in the Oncology Care Model (OCM), a national innovative payment program of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Through its participation in OCM, AON’s affiliated practices are providing high-quality enhanced services to Medicare beneficiaries, such as care coordination, navigation, and national treatment guidelines, while reducing the cost of cancer care through payment arrangements that include financial and performance accountability.

Based on its record of success in community oncology practices across the nation, AON is expanding its participation in the program by choosing to adopt an alternative “two-sided risk” model that would create additional savings for patients and, potentially, for its affiliated practices. In the new two-sided risk model, providers still share in savings, if spending is below the benchmark, as they do in the previous one-sided risk model; however, under the two-sided model, providers also are responsible for some of the loss if spending is above the benchmark.

AON CEO Brad Prechtl, MBA said, “AON’s affiliated practices are community oncology practices that provide extremely high-quality care. Being part of the American Oncology Network allows these practices to provide enhanced services to their patients, such as an in-house specialty pharmacy, world-class pathology lab and national clinical research, as well as the ability to participate in the Oncology Care Model, which, in turn, provides added benefits to patients in their local community.”

Sarah Cevallos, AON Chief Revenue Cycle Officer, added, “Models such as the OCM have allowed practices joining AON to quickly adopt enhanced services that will ultimately provide a win for our patients, payer partners, and reinvestment into the organization. While this is the first major value-based model AON has adopted, we are looking to use this as a platform to expand our learnings to other commercial payers and patients.”

AON Advisory Board Member Stephen “Fred” Divers, MD, who practices at Genesis Cancer Center in Hot Springs, Ark., has championed the OCM as a model that proactively addresses the rising costs of cancer care. “Our practice has experienced the difference that OCM has made in reducing the cost of care for our patients and boosting the overall sustainability of community oncology. As a practice of AON, we have access to the advantages of the OCM, such as 24/7 care management for our patients, that have been proven to benefit both our patients and the practice in general.”

AON Board Member & Chairman Stephen Orman, MD, is optimistic about AON’s participation in the new two-sided model, saying, “We expect to achieve future successes because we have high physician engagement and alignment with our strategic priorities. This is an unsurpassed opportunity for physicians and practices that join AON to participate in an advanced organization that is leading the initiative toward value-based care, which provides the highest quality of cancer care while reducing the overall cost of that care for our patients.”

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About American Oncology Network, LLC: (AONcology.com)
American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) is an alliance of physicians and seasoned healthcare leaders partnering to ensure the long-term success of community oncology. Launched in 2018, the rapidly growing AON network represents 54 physicians and 15 nurse practitioners practicing across nine states. The executive management team of AON brings more than three decades of oncology practice management experience, enabling physicians to focus on what matters most – providing the highest quality care for patients.

The organization provides unique and comprehensive protocols for managing administrative procedures and enhancing ancillary services for its affiliates. AON is able to aggregate volume and attain economies of scale, as it guides its member physicians and practices through the transition to value-based reimbursement models that improve the patient experience and help to reduce the per-capita cost of cancer care.

AON also provides a unique model of physician led, community-based oncology management. With services such as a centralized specialty pharmacy, diagnostics, pathology, fully integrated electronic medical records, a care management team and a variety of financial assistance programs, an alliance with AON ensures that patients’ experiences will be at the very pinnacle of cancer care today.

For More Information, Contact:
American Oncology Network, LLC
Caroline Hewitt, Director of Marketing
Caroline.Hewitt@AONcology.com
(239) 789.2341

The American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) leadership team gathered recently at Raymond James Stadium for the 2019 Operations Meeting.  Presentations focused on cutting-edge advancements and best practice initiatives that will continue to enhance the cancer care AON partner practices provide to patients and their families. The ‘Survivor’ theme was a nod to special guest, Ethan Zohn, winner of the reality TV series, Survivor: Africa, who shared his inspiring story of his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.