Boston-based Mass General Brigham Cancer Center has unveiled plans for a more integrative cancer care model.
Mass General Brigham began consulting physicians, patients and researchers within the system in October 2023 to develop a more patient-focused, equitable cancer care strategy, according to a Sept. 6 news release shared with Becker's.
The new plan incorporates five key priorities:
- Equity: The hospital is planning screening programs in underserved communities, focusing on equitable patient outcomes and reaffirming its commitment to its United Against Racism and For Every Patient initiatives.
- Early diagnosis and rapid intake: The hospital will utilize its primary care network and community-based partnerships to expedite patient intake and clinical care navigation procedures. It will also continue to invest in early diagnosis technology.
- Integrated Care: The hospital will support cross specialty care for its oncology patients to achieve its goal of "treating not just cancer, but the patient with cancer."
- Longitudinal Care: The hospital will develop new long-term plans to support cancer survivors, including through the transition from oncology to post-acute care.
- Advancing Discovery and Innovation: The hospital plans to build a cancer research platform with a focus on gene and cell therapies.
- Research-Driven Treatment: The hospital will invest in digital pathology platforms and clinical trial infrastructure, develop disease-specific centers and oncology partnerships.
"These steps will support a future in which we are a truly integrated cancer center, providing a single point of access for our patients to highly specialized, comprehensive care that treats the whole patient," O'Neil Britton, MD, chief integration officer at Mass General Brigham said in the release.