Navista: Empowering community oncology practices to stay independent for good

Community oncology practices play a critical role in U.S. cancer care, offering high-quality, lower-cost care in the communities where patients live and work. According to the Community Oncology Alliance, the majority of Americans with cancer receive treatment in a community oncology practice. ¹

While community-based oncology practices are often a preferred place for cancer patients to be treated because of the close proximity to home and their loved ones, these independent practices face significant headwinds, such as declining reimbursements, the shift to value-based care and a growing administrative burden.

To help empower community oncology practices to navigate today’s challenges while preserving their independence, Cardinal Health recently introduced Navista. Navista is a clinician-designed oncology practice alliance that provides capital access assistance, advanced technology and business insights that practices need to continue to provide high-quality care and thrive in their communities.

“We believe in the power of community oncology practices to support patients through their cancer journeys, and we believe that these practices need the same exceptional level of support that they provide to patients,” said Dan Duran, General Manager of Navista.

Addressing the challenges of community oncology with flexibility and autonomy

Cardinal Health built Navista alongside leading community oncology practices, gathering input and insights along the way.

“When creating Navista, we spent time with some of the nation’s leading community oncology clinicians and practice leaders to better understand their challenges, growth areas, needs and considerations for evaluating or joining an oncology practice network,” said Duran. Key findings from quantitative research² included:

• Nearly half (48%) of community oncology respondents cited navigating an increasingly complex oncology system as a top challenge
• Nearly three-fourths (72%) cited technology solutions as a top priority
• Transparency (74%) and autonomy/decision-making rights (56%) were named as leading factors for not joining an existing oncology network
• Access to additional revenue streams such as data monetization was a top driver in considering or joining a network (50%), followed by access to technology point solutions (44%) and access to staffing/recruiting resources (38%)

“Our research confirmed that today’s community oncology practice leaders need flexibility and autonomy that they aren’t finding in traditional network models,” said Duran.

By joining Navista, physicians can retain practice ownership and maintain their autonomy while gaining resources and support to grow in their communities. Navista offers members flexible commitment terms through a broad portfolio of engagement models and access to services at affordable rates.

Navista member practices can also tap into AI-driven innovations that reduce administrative burden. For example, Navista offers AI-enabled medical scribing services that streamline medical documentation for clinicians, saving up to several hours per day per physician and enabling physicians to spend more time on patient-centered care.

Navista practice member spotlight

More than 50 community-based practice sites are members of Navista, representing more than 100 providers delivering broad-reaching oncology and urology care across 10 states.

Member practice California Cancer Associates for Research & Excellence (cCARE) serves Californians across nine community-based locations and is the largest private oncology practice in the state. cCARE provides high-quality cancer treatment for breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and all other cancer types and also specializes in hematology and other patient health services.

“By joining Navista, cCARE can access the advanced services and technology we need to remain focused on providing high-quality, lower-cost, patient-centered cancer care while staying independent – for the good of our patients, practice and communities,” said Jedidiah Monson, MD, founding partner and president of cCARE.

Forging the future together

At its core, Navista is designed to give community oncology practices greater ability to forge their own future. As part of Navista, practices can contribute to the future of clinical decision support tools and patient engagement programs, with ongoing opportunities to collaborate on and incubate technology and programs. Navista also offers member practices opportunities to join a peer idea exchange as well as innovation and governance committees. Another important focus for Navista is helping member practices navigate value-based care through value-based care programs and Merit Incentive Payment System (MIPS) improvement tools.

“We believe that the future of community oncology belongs in the hands of its practitioners, and Navista gives community practices the tools and technology they need to collaboratively build a thriving future, together,” said Duran.

To learn more about Navista and the comprehensive services that help community oncology practices stay independent for good, visit Navista.com.

Sources:

1. https://communityoncology.org/value-of-community-oncology/
2. Cardinal Health 2023 Research Study, n=60