Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has launched Care Partners of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK Care Partners) - an MSK initiative of healthcare organizations that are committed to working with MSK toward a shared goal of expanding access to integrated, subspecialized, high-quality cancer care and delivering the latest and most effective cancer treatments to their communities. Today, Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute, a leading health system in Connecticut, became the first in the nation to be designated as a MSK Care Partner.
Research shows that access to high-quality cancer care via National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers like MSK, is associated with better survival outcomes. Further, participation in cancer clinical trials has shown to improve patient survival, yet according to the NCI, enrollment across the U.S. remains low due to disparities such as limited access.
“People treated for cancer at MSK live better, longer,” (1) said Anaeze Offodile II, MD, MPH, Chief Strategy Officer of MSK. “Through the MSK Care Partners platform, we will meaningfully collaborate with health systems across the country to deliver MSK’s rigorous Standards of Care™ locally. Jointly, we will improve patient outcomes and connect these communities to leading-edge clinical and research programs, including clinical trials.”
MSK Care Partners have achieved alignment with MSK’s Standards of Care ™ following an intensive review of their clinical infrastructure, care processes, and clinical outcomes. In turn, institutions gain access to MSK’s clinical advancements and innovations to improve care delivery, support to bolster research and clinical trials infrastructure, and educational opportunities, ensuring patients benefit from the latest approaches to cancer treatment, all while in the care of their local oncologists. Annual reviews ensure MSK Care Partners are adhering to MSK’s benchmarks and integration of the latest evidence-based practices.
“We are so pleased with Hartford HealthCare’s ongoing adoption of MSK’s globally recognized care standards, clinical pathways, and expertise,” said Shelly Anderson, MPM, Hospital President of MSK. “As the first MSK Care Partner, Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute’s proven commitment to advancing MSK-level cancer care will have significant impact on patients and their families throughout Connecticut.”
As an MSK Care Partner, Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute physicians will have access to MSK’s expertise and opportunities to collaborate with MSK physicians in several ways. This includes consulting on optimal treatment plans, observing new techniques, and better equipping them to provide the highest standard of care in their own practices.
“Being an MSK Care Partner is a tremendous opportunity and brings continuous education for Hartford HealthCare doctors, allows for consultations with MSK experts, and enables us to bring MSK’s capabilities here,” said Jeffrey Flaks, President and Chief Executive Officer at Hartford HealthCare. “It truly raises the level of care in the community to state-of-the-art – it brings new therapies and new techniques into our region.”
For more information about MSK Care Partners or to learn how to become a partner, please contact [email protected].
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Sources: Annals of Cancer Epidemiology, Facility type and cancer outcomes in the United States, https://ace.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/ace-23-4; JAMA, Survival Benefit Associated With Participation in Clinical Trials of Anticancer Drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2819132 National Cancer Institute, Clinical Trial Invitation, Participation, and Preferred Sources of Clinical Trial Information among American Adults, https://hints.cancer.gov