OneOncology Acquires Navigating Cancer; Investment Will Allow Upgrades to Patient Engagement Platform

OneOncology announced September 3, 2024, that it had acquired Navigating Cancer, a care management platform used by more than 2000 providers and up to 1.5 million patients a year, including those treated at some of the nation’s largest community practices that are part of competing management services networks.¹

Nothing will change for Navigation Cancer clients, “regardless of their management services organization affiliations,” according to a statement on the acquisition.² Navigating Cancer will operate as a standalone business within OneOncology; the only change will be increased investment that will allow Navigating Cancer to speed up innovation in its care management platform and patient reported outcomes tool, “without additional cost to customers.”²

Jeff Patton, MD | Image: NBJ

“Health care woefully lags other industries in technology adoption, so we are choosing to be innovators and leaders to advance technology solutions that benefit all community oncology practices,” Jeff Patton, MD, CEO of OneOncology, said in a statement.² “While Navigating Cancer improves patient engagement, medication adherence, and workflows for providers today, we will invest in the platform by adding new and truly innovative capabilities to further enhance the experience for both patients and providers.”

Navigating Cancer is well-known for remote patient symptom monitoring platform using electronic patient reported outcomes (ePROs). The announcement touts results from a study published in 2023, which showed how platform use led to a 39% drop in hospitalizations and 33% fewer adverse events, driving savings of $1146 per patient in a large oncology practice. Although the statement does not list the practice, this was the Texas Two-Step study from leaders at Texas Oncology, part of The US Oncology Network.³

With OneOncology, Navigating Cancer seeks to develop new products that integrate clinical capabilities alongside its demonstrated facility with ePROs. According to the statement, features already under development include support for administration of bispecific antibodies and improved medication adherence functionality, as well as expanded capabilities in helping practices bill CMS under the Principal Care Management and Chronic Care Management codes.

“Navigating Cancer’s platform has enabled practices to streamline operations, improve medication adherence, achieve better success with value-based and shared savings reimbursement programs, and optimize patient experiences through a market-leading patient portal and the industry’s broadest care management platform,” said Bill Bunker, CEO, Navigating Cancer.² “Thanks to the clinical expertise and technology investments provided by OneOncology, the Navigating Cancer platform will evolve into a truly differentiated product that enables unique improvements to patient care, delivery of novel therapeutics, and opportunities for evidence generation.”

References

1. Navigating Cancer. Accessed September 18, 2024. https://www.navigatingcancer.com/
2. E. Hoffman. Navigating Cancer accelerates investments to enhance care management for platform for providers and patients. OneOncology. September 3, 2024. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www.oneoncology.com/blog/navigating-cancer-accelerates-investments-to-enhance-care-management-platform-for-providers-and-patients/
3. Patt DA, Patel AM, Hudson KE, et al. Impact of remote symptom monitoring with electronic patient-reported outcomes on hospitalization, survival, and cost in community oncology practice: the Texas Two-Step study. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2023;7 Published online October 28, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1200/CCI.23.0018