Managed oncology care: the disease management model.

Abstract

As oncology becomes an increasing financial burden on the U.S. health care system, effort is being focused on finding methods to more effectively deliver, manage, and monitor the highly complex panoply of cancer care services required by patients. This issue has growing significance and importance in light of an aging U.S. population and the rapid penetration of managed care. SalickNet, Salick Health Care's disease management and managed care company, has been a pioneer in the development and implementation of cancer disease management programs. The cornerstone is a proprietary computer-based disease management system called OMARS (Oncology Management Assessment Reporting System). The flexible yet sophisticated architecture allows for the management of integrated care, data processing, and the generation of compelling custom reporting, fulfilling the goal of maximizing coordinated and effective patient care. Based on data collected and analyzed across critical clinical, quality of life, and patient satisfaction outcome measures, strong evidence exists that the SalickNet Disease Management Model is a highly effective vehicle for bringing about cost, quality, and outcomes advantages in cancer care.