Bruce Gould, MD: The Oncology Medical Home
The Group Room sat down with Dr. Bruce Gould, Medical Director of Northwest Georgia Cancer Centers and Community Oncology Alliance (COA) board member, at the Community Oncology Alliance 2012 annual meeting in Las Vegas. In this video, Dr. Gould introduces us to the concept of the Oncology Medical Home and what it means for the future of community oncology.
The Group Room interviews at the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) 2012 annual meeting in Las Vegas was made possible by the generous support of our members.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
This is Selma Schimmel for The Group Room in Las Vegas at the Community Oncology Alliance meeting. Joining me now is Dr. Bruce Gould, Medical Oncologist at the Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers. And Hello to you, Dr. Gould.
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
Hello.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
Today, though, we’re going to talk to you specifically about Oncology Medical Home. And this is totally new to me; what is the Oncology Medical Home?
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
Basically, an oncology medical home is an oncology practice that does 3 major things- it provides comprehensive excellent cancer care to our patients; secondly, it’s a practice that works hard to provide better value for the healthcare dollar; and thirdly, it’s a practice that works hard to strengthen the community oncology program so that oncologists can remain independent. Because community oncologists provide the most cost effective care and they also provide care to 80% of the cancer patients.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
Talk to us a little bit about, especially for physicians that are listening, how they network and use the resources that this home represents.
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
All those resources are currently being developed by the Community Oncology Alliance, or COA. We have a steering committee called the Oncology Medical Home Steering Committee of which I am the chairman. The goal of that committee is to find value and quality from the viewpoint of the 3 major stakeholders. These stakeholders include, most importantly, the patient, the payer and the providers, us the oncologists. And once we come to a collective agreement of what constitutes value and quality in terms of oncology medical home care, then our goal as a committee is to better define and explain how a specific practice can use the tools available to them to implement those value and quality parameters as defined by the stakeholders. And then, thirdly, there’s going to have to be a way of reporting back to the payers that that practice is meeting those quality parameters. And then, fourthly, there’s going to be a realignment of reimbursement incentives so that practices are paid for providing quality care and they’re not being paid on resource utilization as they are now.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
When was the oncology medical home developed? It’s still a work in progress, but when did all this initiate?
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
Credit goes to Dr. John Sprandio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the first to articulate the oncology medical home concept. And he’s the first and only NCQA certified medical oncology home practice in the country.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
COA is actively trying to grow its’ membership by involving as many community based medical oncologists as possible. In order to use the services or resources, whatever the correct terminology is, of the oncology medical home; does a physician need to first be a member of COA?
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
The only goal of this program is to strengthen community oncology and whether an oncologist is a member of COA or not, our end game is to strengthen the community oncology program; so I would have to say no, for them. I’d say they do not have to be a member to take advantage of what we’re trying to do here.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
But we certainly would like them to become a member because the membership is what keeps COA strong.
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
Absolutely. And they are the voice of community oncologists and they do a better job of it than any other oncology organization.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
Are there any closing thoughts you’d like to make, especially to your colleagues?
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
I would say that it’s clear that we’re not going to be able to do business as usual, given the rapid escalation of cancer care costs. Clearly those costs are in the crosshairs of the payers and the government. And so it’s going to be incumbent upon us to be more thoughtful with our resources and to provide better patient care and to start taking the lead and looking out for ourselves, otherwise many of us are going to end up working for the hospitals and we’re going to lose control of our ability to practice medicine in a way we see as best.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
Well, I think that summed it up very well.
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
Thank you.
Selma Schimmel, Founder & CEO, Vital Options International
Thank you, Dr. Bruce Gould- Chairman of the COA Committee for the Oncology Medical Home and Medical Oncologist at Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers. Thank you very much.
Bruce Gould, MD, Medical Director, Northwest Oncology Cancer Centers
Alright, thank you.
END OF VIDEO