All 14 OneOncology Practices Apply for EOM

The OneOncology national platform for independent oncology practices announced October 3 that all 14 of its partner practices applied to take part in the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM), which is Medicare’s upcoming value-based care model for oncology.

September 30 was the initial application deadline for the EOM, which was unveiled June 27 by CMS as a successor to the Oncology Care Model (OCM). Practices have been given an extension until October 10 to apply.

The OCM ended June 30 after 6 years, and the EOM is set to begin July 1, 2023.

“With large and diverse patient populations combined with OneOncology’s analytics and value-based care expertise, our practice partners will have the data and insights to help them successfully participate in the EOM,” Davey Daniel, MD, chief medical officer for OneOncology, said in a statement. “We’re proud that all OneOncology practices have applied to participate, and we look forward to working with them to them to drive high-quality, patient-centered outcomes in Medicare’s value-based oncology model.”

One of the key components of EOM is its emphasis on promoting health equity in cancer care. Said Daniel said, “Having 14 of 14 OneOncology practices apply for EOM is an important indication of our practice partners’ commitment to promote health equity. It also underscores the important contribution of the oncology community to improve access to high-quality cancer care for underserved populations.”

In its statement, OneOncology highlighted investments to support practice partners in preparation for EOM participation as well as clinical support through Disease Groups, Pathways, and Clinical Research.

“EOM participation will set a common foundation that aligns with OneOncology’s desired expansion of value-based care, and we look forward to helping our practices excel in this transition,” the statement said. “Still, the EOM poses certain challenges for groups relative to Medicare’s prior value-based oncology model, OCM, such as increased investments needed to support additional reporting requirements, lower payments for enhanced oncology services, and mandatory downside risk.”

Daniel noted that throughout the life of the OCM, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation made updates to the risk adjustment methodology; thus, he said OneOncology remains “optimistic” that the agency will be open to similar improvements to the EOM.

Reference

Hoffman E. All 14 OneOncology partner practices apply to participate in EOM. OneOncology. Published and accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.oneoncology.com/blog/all-14-oneoncology-partner-practices-apply-to-participate-in-eom