Via Oncology Acquisition Positions Pathway Provider for Growth

Via Oncology, which provides clinical decision support tools to more than 1500 cancer care providers nationwide, has been acquired by Elsevier, a global healthcare information and analytics company with holdings in decision support, digital journals, and reference works.

Nine-year-old Via Oncology, a former subsidiary of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), has built the Via Pathways structure, a system initially developed at UPMC Hillman Cancer in 2004 and commercialized 5 years later. Via Pathways now covers more than 2000 different patient presentations in cancer care.

At the recent meeting of Patient-Centered Oncology Care^® held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and hosted by The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®), Via Oncology President and CEO Kathleen Lokay described how the pathways are constantly updated through a combination of technology and an ongoing committee structure.

“Cancer centers need to provide evidence-based care, reduce variation, and manage care consistently across settings,” Lokay said in a statement. “With its resources and world-class content, Elsevier will be able to add more complex logic capabilities and systems integration into Via Pathways to enhance the value and expand usage in the US and globally.”

The January 17, 2018, statement says the transaction will allow Via Oncology to pursue new growth opportunities. “We share Elsevier’s vision of using data and technology to improve the quality and effectiveness of care and expect that we will find additional ways to mutually pursue these goals in the future,” said Tal Heppenstall, president of UPMC Enterprises, the health system's commercialization and innovation arm.

Lokay told AJMC^® in an interview that following pathways offers multiple benefits to patients, providers, and payers. Besides reducing variation in care and ensuring higher quality, following pathways can help providers avoid the need for prior authorization.