The thought leadership paper on “One-stop cancer care” – part of the Siemens Healthineers ‘Insights Series’ - discusses the trend for consolidating facilities, equipments, and specialists under one roof for better delivery of oncology care. It also shares the success factors for building such dedicated Oncology Centers of Excellence, and how digital technologies play a critical role.
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Cancer poses significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. It is a uniquely complex disease, the range of treatment options are vast, and the costs associated with cancer care are high. The challenge is further compounded by the fact that cancer cases continue to climb at a troubling rate; cardiovascular disease, by comparison, has seen a downward trend in recent years in both incidence and mortality rates. Yet the battle against cancer has also seen important victories and breakthroughs in recent years. Technology and treatment options continue to evolve, prevention and detection strategies have grown more sophisticated, and digitalisation offers remarkable new opportunities to better understand the disease, analyze data, share information, and engage more effectively with patients and their families. The development of Cancer Centers of Excellence can offer a way to effectively tackle many of these challenges at the same time, while also taking maximum advantage of the new advances and opportunities that exist in oncology today. Integrated, multi-disciplinary cancer centers that combine facilities, equipment and specialists under one roof can offer benefits to both providers and patients. Such centers can enhance efficiency, offer patients more seamless and convenient care, and provide competitive advantages through differentiation
This paper analyzes the emergence of Cancer Centers of Excellence, identifies the elements that are necessary for such centers to succeed, and provides an overview of the essential role played by digitalisation. Effective Cancer Centers of Excellence require well-functioning multi-disciplinary teams; they must bring together people and technology in ways that leverage their value, integrating services and specialists into one flagship facility. They must maximize efficiency, for example through creative staffing solutions to help overcome workforce shortages, and must leverage their size to invest in necessary technologies, for example genomic testing capability. They must deploy digital solutions that provide opportunities for caregivers and patients to engage more directly, for example by giving patients the opportunity to self-report outcomes or symptoms while receiving outpatient chemotherapy. And, as patient expectations are changing, they must offer patients and their families a more “consumer-friendly” experience. At this important moment in the history of oncology, Cancer Centers of Excellence can offer meaningful benefits. But such centers must be carefully planned, skillfully managed, and must maintain a strong focus on patients.
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