Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) is facilitating innovation in oncology practices around the United States by initiating the annual publication of each year's National Practice Benchmark report, which will serve as the anchor for JOP's "State of Oncology" issue printed each September. The National Practice Benchmark, which is distributed as a survey to community oncology practices, is "the largest compilation of quantitative operational and financial data gathered from oncology practices ever produced," according to Thomas R. Barr, MBA, the General Manager of Oncology Metrics, a division of Altos Solutions in Los Altos, California. Mr. Barr worked with Elaine L. Towle, CMPE, Director of Consulting Services at Oncology Metrics, to aggregate and organize the data collected from the survey results; the results from 2009 and 2010 will be provided as supplements for JOP this year in March and in September, respectively.

"From these data, Oncology Metrics produces a wide variety of benchmarks-over 50 graphs and figures. Using these to compare their own operations, oncology practices can understand where they are, relative to others in the industry. This offers them an opportunity to focus on areas where they may be able to enhance operations," Mr. Barr says. In the supplement to the March issue of JOP, readers can analyze information from the 2010 report on 2009 data. In 2010, 189 practices from 44 states responded to the survey to provide demographic, operational, and financial data for the calendar year of 2009 or the most recently completed fiscal year.

Quality Improvement Process

"The [National Practice Benchmark] provides a foundation of 'real world' measurements that lead to improvement in oncology operations. There is ample evidence that benchmarking is a proven way to improve operations in many settings," Mr. Barr says. He adds, "When quantitative data exists in conjunction with definitions that allow these data to be used within many different practices, measurement and comparisons can then be made. These measurements form the beginning of a reasoned quality improvement process, which invariably leads to improvement in efficiency and standardization of processes."

Mr. Barr and Ms. Towle began conducting benchmarking research in 2001, when they were on the executive board of the Assembly of Oncology Hematology Administrators, one of the assemblies of the Medical Group Management Association. Once this information was no longer available, the investigators began distributing national surveys. They have published articles on the basis of data from the 2006 calendar year, as well as from 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Mr. Barr discusses his findings over the course of time: "We have seen a steady increase in the number of new patients being seen by each full-time oncologist, observing around 230 in 2001 and close to 355 in 2009. Of course, we see the increase in the cost of drug therapy for these patients and a reduction in the reimbursement for these drugs. We also see an increase in operating efficiency resulting in lower overhead expense," he says.

Unique Report

The National Practice Benchmark report is particularly remarkable in regard to how unique it is. Participants are very diverse in terms of size, location, drug-buying channel, payer environment, competitive pressures, and technology. "This is the face of the oncology care delivery system in the United States today," Mr. Barr says.

Mr. Barr says the future for these reports will be in clinical benchmarking. "That is where the next stage of operational efficiency will produce dramatic gains in quality. Here we have the opportunity to get at the real drivers of predictable outcomes and costs-that is what we need to stay ahead of the cost curve in cancer care. The federal meaningful-use incentive to produce electronically gathered standardized data is the gateway to that capability," he says. As the National Practice Benchmark report encompasses more data from more practices, it will continue to advance the improvement of standardization and efficiency of oncology practice in our nation. ■

© 2011. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.