Several additional oncology-focused events in SanFrancisco

Tag : Health Care Products
McKesson, the world's leading healthcare services company, willplay a key role in the weekend along with its group purchasingorganization (GPO), Onmark, which is facilitating its third annualNational Payor/Provider Forum. The Forum, taking place today at theWestin St. Francis, convenes oncology providers, payors andpharmaceutical manufacturers to discuss solutions to improvepatient care while controlling costs. The Forum featurespresentations by United Healthcare, the American Society ofClinical Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, CCE, theUniversity of Texas Health Science Center and McKesson.

"With our 360-degree view of the healthcare landscape and ourcommitment to improving oncology care, McKesson is uniquelypositioned to bring together a diverse group of key players tocultivate meaningful dialogue and mutually agreeable solutions forproviding patients with the right treatment, at the right time andfor the right cost," said Patrick Blake, president, McKessonSpecialty, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. "The OnmarkNational Payor/Provider Forum is an important step toward achievingthe common goal of delivering affordable, equitable andhigh-quality patient care."

Patient Access Underscores Need for Partnership Among Stakeholders

Increased and earlier diagnosis, as well as access to bettertreatments, has led to a dramatic shift in cancer incidence andmortality rates in the last decade. According to the AmericanCancer Society, the 5-year survival rate of all cancers diagnosedbetween 1996 and 2003 is 66 percent, up from 50 percent between1975 and 1977. However, with more than 1.4 million new cancer casesexpected to be diagnosed in 2008 and the National Institutes ofHealth estimating overall costs of cancer in 2007 at $219.2billion, adequate access to treatment is a critical concern. Thesechallenges herald the need for more effective business models,including pay-for-performance programs that are rooted in strategicpartnerships between oncology providers and payors.

"While we've seen numerous advancements in cancer over the lastseveral years, physicians and payors are now faced with thequestion of how to best deliver high-quality, cost-effectivepatient care in a rapidly changing healthcare environment," saidMike Cunningham, Pharm.D., Onmark vice president and generalmanager. "We have long believed that effective payor and providercollaboration is key to the solution. We began in 2004 with aseries of regional Forums, and the 2008 National Payor/ProviderForum is the third time we've conducted an event of this nature atthe national level."

Additional Activities

Several additional oncology-focused events are occurring in SanFrancisco throughout the weekend, including:

-- Oncology Leadership Summit - A biannual summit hosted by Onmarkand geared to forward-thinking community oncologists and practiceadministrators. The Summit will cover diverse topics includingreimbursement policy updates, the move to oral oncology therapiesand managed care negotiation strategies.

-- CCE membership meeting - A national network of practice-owned,physician-driven community-based oncology practices will host itsmembership meeting to discuss evidence-based, best-practiceprotocols in the areas of prostate, leukemia and head and neckcancers. Paul Julian, executive vice president and group presidentof McKesson Corporation, and Patrick Blake, president of McKessonSpecialty, are both members of the CCE Board of Directors.

-- Fourth Annual Oncology Congress - An interactive continuingmedical education (CME) conference providing the latest clinicaldata, best practices and new technologies that are directlyapplicable to the practice of oncology today. Onmark, a McKessonSpecialty company, is a supporter of this event.

About Onmark

Onmark, a McKesson Specialty company, is the leading national grouppurchasing organization (GPO) for community-based practices. One ofthe largest GPOs in the community-based setting, Onmark has morethan 2,800 members representing more than 4,700 physicians withover $8 billion in combined annual drug purchasing power. As a partof McKesson Corporation and through its strategic relationshipswith pharmaceutical companies and industry experts, Onmark providesits members with, access to a full portfolio of competitivecontracts for pharmaceutical products, the lowest pricing availablethrough McKesson Specialty, practice management resources, clinicaltools and educational programs. For information about the products,services and programs available to Onmark members, visitwww.onmarkservices.com.

About McKesson and McKesson Specialty

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 18th on the Fortune 500, isa healthcare services and information technology company dedicatedto helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare byreducing costs, streamlining processes and improving the qualityand safety of patient care. McKesson is the longest-operatingcompany in healthcare today, marking its 175th anniversary thisyear. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown byproviding pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply managementacross the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology forhospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retailpharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payorsdesigned to improve outcomes for patients. The McKesson Specialtybusiness unit, which includes OTN and Onmark, delivers servicesthat manufacturers, payors and providers need to ensure specialtypharmaceutical products, coordinated reimbursement and clinicalservices are available to patients with complex diseases. For moreinformation, visit www.mckesson.com.