What Differentiates OHC?

OHC is the region’s most experienced group of cancer experts who offer patients a multi-disciplinary approach to care. This includes experts in:

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We continue to surpass national benchmarks for patient satisfaction and quality. We are also leading the way with the creation of new and innovative programs that are reducing the cost of oncology care. We provide unmatched personal support and aggressively attack cancer with every possible strategy.

Transforming Oncology Care — Value Based Care

We are committed to providing unmatched quality care while keeping patients’ cancer costs low. We achieve this through our participation in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s Oncology Care Model (OHC is one of only a select few cancer practices nationally to be accepted into the program), as an accredited Oncology Medical Home in Cincinnati, and through initiatives like the At-Risk program, which we piloted with United Healthcare, Anthem and Aetna.

OHC is also transforming health care by ensuring that our patients receive the right care at the right time and in the right place, which also helps improve outcomes and control costs. According to a report from the Community Oncology Alliance, when it comes to cancer care in the U.S., a decade-long move toward closure and consolidation of independent clinics has resulted in a shift to the more expensive hospital setting. For every dollar spent in the office of an independent oncologist, it’s estimated by the federal government the spend will be $1.80 with an oncologist employed by a hospital system. It doesn’t mean you receive lesser care at OHC. It means patients receive the very best care that happens to be at a better price.

CAR-T Therapy: Ushering in A New Frontier in the Fight Against Cancer

In October 2018, OHC administered its first treatment of the ground-breaking Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy (CAR-T), ushering in a new frontier in the fight against cancer. CAR-T has the potential to change the way we approach cancer because the process re-trains the body’s own immune system to recognize cancer cells and destroy them. OHC was the first adult oncology group in the region to offer this revolutionary treatment for adults. CAR-T is available through OHC in partnership with The Jewish Hospital — Mercy Health Cincinnati Cancer and Cellular Therapy Center, one of a few centers in the U.S. with certification. OHC is also one of the few independent cancer practices in the U.S. to offer CAR-T.

Clinical Trials

When a cure for cancer is discovered, it will be discovered through a clinical trial. That’s why OHC is a fierce supporter of clinical trials and is relentless in our search for new treatments. As the region’s leader in ground-breaking cancer research and clinical trials, our nationally-recognized research program is paving the way for new breakthroughs in cancer care and providing patients with access to these promising new cancer treatments. We want all patients to have access to these treatments as soon as possible. At OHC, they do.

Our commitment to search for new treatments has been manifested through recognition as an ASCO Clinical Trial Award winner for our dedication to conquering cancer worldwide by funding breakthrough cancer research and providing treatments to the communities we serve. OHC has been recognized by the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology for its commitment to a high quality clinical trials program, and our physician investigators have been published in national journals and are regular presenters at ASCO’s national meetings. OHC is a participant in US Oncology Research, a nationwide effort consisting of more than 150 research locations with an experienced staff of more than 900 dedicated researchers. US Oncology Research has conducted 1,600 clinical trials including more than 160 early phase studies, and it manages approximately 400 active trials at any given time. Through OHC, patients can take part in exciting new clinical trials – right in their own communities.

Blood and Marrow Transplant Program

In 1993, OHC was an instrumental part of the team that brought life-saving blood and marrow transplant services to the region. The OHC team now performs more than 100 blood and bone marrow transplants each year, totaling more than 2300 procedures since 1993. According to The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, the Cincinnati Center for Cellular Therapy at The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health is comparable to the top cancer centers regionally in overall survival of adult blood and marrow transplant patients. OHC’s transplant specialists serve as medical director of the nationally recognized Cincinnati Center for Cellular Therapy at The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health.

Call Us Early. Call Us First.

Many cancer patients often seek care in an emergency department (ED) when they need help with symptoms related to their disease or, more often, their treatments. In most cases, these issues and concerns can be handled with a phone call to an experienced oncology provider. OHC is leading change with an innovative oncology nurse triage program called “Call Us Early. Call Us First.” where patients can call 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday. Patients share their symptoms, and are immediately assessed and navigated through several options: same day office visit with a provider, office visit on the weekend, and/or counseled over the phone. The program encourages patients to call OHC first before going to an ED. The team has significantly reduced ED visits, unnecessary hospital admissions and improved patient outcomes.

Quality

OHC is an independent, physician-owned practice. This means our patients can choose how, when and where they want their care. It also provides them with the latest treatments and support services from the region’s most experienced providers of treatment for adult cancers and blood disorders.

OHC has established protocols and programs that guide our patients through their cancer journey. These measures have been adopted and shared as “best practices” across the nation.

OHC’s firm commitment to these quality standards is evidenced by the fact that OHC was the first oncology practice in Cincinnati certified by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Certification Program (QOPI). QOPI certification recognizes oncology practices that achieve rigorous standards for high quality cancer care. And OHC follows the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. This means OHC is making sure all OHC patients receive preventive, diagnostic, treatment, and supportive services that are most likely to lead to optimal outcomes.

Patient Satisfaction

At OHC, we use the Net Promoter System, a transitional, real-time survey, to measure patient satisfaction and ensure our patients are pleased with the care and service they receive. We continuously monitor our results and incorporate new ideas and processes as a result of patient survey responses. Patients have the option to include comments about their experience. When they do, OHC leaders contact those patients within 72 hours to learn more about their experiences. Survey results are received in real time after patients submit their comments. OHC consistently performs significantly higher than the national benchmark.

OHC Specialty Retail Pharmacy

Research shows that centralizing patient care – including pharmacy – leads to increased medication adherence and improved patient outcomes. OHC Specialty Retail Pharmacy uses this approach exclusively with OHC patients.

• Speed: OHC patients receive specialty cancer medications within 2-5 business days, much faster than other pharmacies
• Side Effects Management: When dosage needs to be changed, the OHC pharmacist has immediate access to the patient’s records and can coordinate with the patient’s oncology care team in real time
• OHC has a dedicated oncology pharmacy team available to answer any questions a patient may have
• OHC pharmacists follow up with patients for medication refill reminders and to discuss any concerns
• OHC nurses call every patient within seven days of starting a new therapy
• OHC delivers oral chemotherapy medications and supportive medications to patients’ homes at no charge
• OHC helps with financial assistance and insurance coverage for oral chemotherapy
• OHC provides medications that are part of clinical trials