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Hope begins here.

If you're an HR or benefits professional seeking cancer resources for your employees, or a consultant looking to provide best-in-class cancer support for your clients, share a few details below. We’ll reach out to help your company get started.

If you’re an employee looking for your AccessHope benefit, call 800.423.3232 and select Option 1.

Unmatched expertise in the fight against cancer

You want the best for your clients and their employees facing cancer and that starts with access to the latest knowledge.

Outcomes are dramatically better at National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, but only 20% of cases are treated there.1,2 That’s why AccessHope makes it easy to bring the latest expertise to employees by connecting their local oncologists with NCI subspecialists.

We proudly partner with NCI centers to remotely deliver expertise to employees and their families nationwide

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

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Johns Hopkins Medicine

Kimmel Cancer Center

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Northwestern Medicine

Northwestern Medicine

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UT Southwestern Medical Center

Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

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City of Hope

City of Hope is a world renowned cancer research and treatment center based in southern California. It is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, in addition to being a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, making it a national leader in advancing research and treatment protocols. For over a decade, City of Hope has been identified as one of the nation’s elite cancer hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

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Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA is a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. It is the #1 ranked cancer hospital in New England by US News & World Report. Nationwide, it is the only cancer hospital to be ranked in the top 5 for both adult and pediatric oncology care. Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique balance of cancer care and research, translating discovery into new therapies for patients around the world and offering more than 1,100 clinical trials.

Dana-Farber is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the top academic recipient of grant funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and has the most highly cited research of any U.S. cancer center.

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Emory Healthcare

Emory Healthcare, with more than 24,000 employees and 11 hospitals, is the most comprehensive academic health system in Georgia. System-wide, it has 2,796 licensed patient beds, more than 2,800 physicians practicing in more than 70 specialties, serving metro Atlanta with 250 locations. It also provides services to greater Georgia through a joint venture at St. Francis–Emory Healthcare Hospital in Columbus, 10 regional affiliate hospitals, and its clinically integrated physician network.

As the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center for the state of Georgia, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University discovers, develops and delivers some of the world's most effective ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat each patient's unique cancer. Winship leverages the depth and breadth of Emory University and collaborates with other NCI-designated cancer centers and leading cancer organizations. Winship investigators conducted more than 300 therapeutic clinical trials and enrolled more than 900 patients in 2020. Winship has more than 500 faculty and received $80 million in cancer research funding in 2020, $33 million of that from the NCI.

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Northwestern Medicine

Northwestern Medicine is a nationally recognized health system that provides world-class care.  Anchored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital, ranked No. 1 in Illinois and No. 9 in the nation by US News and World Report. Northwestern Medicine encompasses more than 200 locations including 10 hospitals, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Backed by the Lurie Cancer Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital is ranked #9 in the nation by US News and World Report and is part of a select group of National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Dedicated to overcoming cancer through scientific discovery, the Lurie Cancer Center provides compassionate, leading edge cancer care in a state of the art facility.

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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center combines adult cancer care and advanced scientific research, and has a history of discoveries that treat, cure and identify prevention strategies for cancer and infectious diseases. The organization was renamed in April 2022, following the merger of long-time partners, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.

Fred Hutch has been a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center since 1973. Global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS, immunotherapy and COVID-19 helped Fred Hutch earn recognition as one of the world’s leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and has network affiliations with hospitals in five states.

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Kimmel Cancer Center

As part of the Johns Hopkins Medicine academic health system and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Kimmel Cancer Center has five locations in the Baltimore and Greater Washington, D.C., regions. Designated by the National Cancer Institute as one of the first comprehensive cancer centers in the country, its physicians and scientists are recognized leaders throughout the nation and the world.

The Kimmel Cancer Center understands that each patient is unique and it provides a tailored approach to care by multidisciplinary teams of specialists. Its patients have access to a large number of clinical trials and supportive care resources for themselves and their caregivers. From immunotherapy and proton therapy, to molecular tumor board-guided treatments, its physicians, nurses, and pharmacists are dedicated to providing the best care possible backed by innovative research.

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Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. With 15 multidisciplinary teams interconnected to bring broad expertise to bear on challenges unique to different cancers, our providers facilitate access to compassionate, quality, leading-edge care including the latest in clinical trials. Simmons Cancer Center is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and ranked among the top 20 cancer centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
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Cancer isn’t one disease

We now know there are hundreds of cancer types and variants, and optimal treatments can be radically different depending on factors like genetics and stage. AccessHope supports your clients’ employees and their oncologists with expertise related to their specific case, to make a real, measurable, tangible difference.

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Cancer is costing your clients

Cancer is the top driver of complex care costs. In one year, cancer care can cost employers $103.8 billion, plus $123 billion in absenteeism and lost productivity.3,4 AccessHope can reduce expenses that result from a lack of access to the latest knowledge, including unnecessary testing and inappropriate treatments. It also saves employees unnecessary physical and emotional strain caused by these treatments.
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Cancer research isn’t reaching everyone

Cancer research is evolving rapidly, but that doesn’t mean it’s reaching everyone equally. Cancer treatments and outcomes can vary by zip code, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and more.4 AccessHope allows your clients to ensures NCI expertise is available to every employee facing a cancer diagnosis, no matter who they are or where they live.

Hear from an AccessHope client

AccessHope is the most impactful program I had the honor of introducing in my last plan sponsor role. I can personally vouch for AccessHope’s program as it gave me the peace of mind of knowing my treatment plan was correct. It’s a scary time and very confusing as one moment you’re totally healthy and the next you have a cancer diagnosis.”

Pat Pitsch

The proof is in the
(peer-reviewed) paper

Our subspecialists provided evidence-based recommendations that had the potential to influence the treatment plan in approximately 93% of cases.6

Download the study

Frequently Asked Questions

 

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What is required from me and my client to implement AccessHope?

For our employee-initiated Expert Advisory Review and Cancer Support Team, AccessHope needs an eligibility file.

For our algorithm-based Accountable Precision Oncology service, AccessHope works with health plan/third-party administrator (TPA) operations to proactively initiate case reviews by clinical experts.

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How are you different than other cancer support services?

AccessHope’s employer benefit gives employer self-funded plans and the treating physicians of employees remote access to renowned cancer expertise through foundational partnerships with NCI–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, allowing a 100% focus on cancer.

We bring advanced expert knowledge to advise on clinical aspects of a proposed treatment plan and provide evidence-based recommendations including personalized precision medicine opportunities, as well as appropriate clinical trial information and support services, regardless of an employee’s location.

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How is AccessHope different than Centers of Excellence (COE) services?

COE services provide medical care to cancer patients; AccessHope does not. AccessHope’s business model remotely connects (a) employees to cancer support services from expert oncology nurses and support staff via our Cancer Support Team; (b) employees’ community oncologists (via our Expert Advisory Review service) and benefit plans (via our Accountable Precision Oncology service) to the latest expertise from NCI–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, eliminating the need to travel for leading cancer expertise and leaving their care decisions 100% in the hands of their local treating physician. Our program supports all cancer types and stages along the member’s journey, while they stay close to home with their local support system.

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How are you different than second opinion or expert medical opinion (EMO) services?

Unlike EMO solutions that provide written case reports to members, AccessHope specialists deliver a detailed report on each unique cancer case to the member’s plan or their community oncologist and follow up with an offer of a peer-to-peer clinical consultation call to discuss the evidenced-based recommendations. AccessHope is focused solely on supporting cancer cases with the latest knowledge from NCI centers to help improve quality of life and health outcomes for more people with cancer.

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Are community oncologists willing to collaborate with your subspecialists?

Yes. In more than 90% of cases, AccessHope experts offer recommendations which, if adopted by community oncologists, have the potential to influence meaningful and actionable changes to the recommended treatment plan.

In fact, our innovative model of remote expert case reviews was recently validated by a peer-reviewed study in the medical journal JCO Oncology Practice.

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How is AccessHope addressing cancer health disparities?

While science continues to evolve, disparities in healthcare based on race and geography persist. AccessHope’s remote approach to Expert Advisory Review and Accountable Precision Oncology services addresses disparities by providing access to NCI expertise regardless of the employee’s geographic location. Highly specialized hospitals like NCI centers have been shown in a study to have higher survival rates over 5 years versus community hospitals.1

As an organization, AccessHope also administers diversity, equity, and inclusion training for their physician, clinical and research teams on empathy, authentic communication, unconscious bias and other related topics.

Reference

1 Pfister DG, Rubin DM, Elkin EB, et al. Risk adjusting survival outcomes in hospitals that treat patients with cancer without information on cancer stage. JAMA Oncol. 2015;1(9)1303-1310.

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How do you provide expertise to employees with cancer? Do they need to travel?

AccessHope services do not require members to travel, but instead provide remote access to leading-edge insights.

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How do you handle member privacy?

AccessHope values members’ privacy. All employee information is transmitted, used and stored securely, according to applicable HIPAA guidelines.

Our leaders

Meet the people who are transforming the way we fight cancer

Brad
Kreick

Chief Executive Officer

As CEO, Brad drives the overall executive management and direction of AccessHope. His prior roles include CEO of SolutionHealth, Executive Vice President of Apria Healthcare Inc., Executive Vice President, Business Development, for Oxford Health Plans Inc., in addition to consulting experience taking publicly traded and privately held healthcare provider and payor organizations through high-growth stages.

Debra
Morris

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer

Debby leads day-to-day operations including operational excellence, resource management, financial strategy, and cross-functional collaboration in support of AccessHope’s vision and culture. She brings over 30 years of experience scaling private and public companies and leading teams through periods of high growth, change, and complexity, most recently as CFO and EVP at Apria Healthcare for nearly 10 years.

Mark
Stadler

Chief Growth Officer

Mark drives the growth and expansion of AccessHope services while fostering client relationships. He joined AccessHope in 2020. His prior leadership experience includes successes with BridgeHealth, HealthSmart Holdings, Inc., Aon Hewitt, Great-West Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare and more.

Todd
Sachs, M.D.

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Todd Sachs leads AccessHope’s clinical team and oversees the remote delivery of our cancer support services. Passionate about addressing healthcare disparities and promoting value-based care, Todd is deeply dedicated to staying in the know on the newest protocols and medications in the always-advancing field of oncology.

 

Board certified by the American Board of Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Todd specializes in endocrine surgery of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. He also belongs to the California Medical Association and Los Angeles Surgical Society.

Abhishek
Kumar

Chief Information Officer

Abhishek is responsible for the management, strategy and operations of IT infrastructure and oversees the IT Strategy and Information Security Program. His experience includes success with Johns Hopkins, City Of Hope and Johnson & Johnson.

Bridget
Davis

General Counsel

Bridget oversees legal, risk and compliance at AccessHope. She brings more than 35 years experience in legal practice. Most recently Bridget served as Deputy General Counsel at City of Hope, where she was instrumental in navigating complex legal challenges and fostering an environment of innovation and compliance.

Joseph
Alvarnas, M.D.

Chief Clinical Advisor | AccessHope; VP, Government Affairs and Senior Medical Director for Employer Strategy, Clinical Professor, Hematology/HCT | City of Hope

Dr. Alvarnas is AccessHope’s Chief Clinical Advisor with a passion for changing the healthcare system to ensure the delivery of first-class cancer care. He’s also a Clinical Professor of Hematology, the Vice President of Government Affairs, and the Senior Medical Director for Employer Strategy at City of Hope, a world-renowned independent cancer research and treatment center. For the center, he leads advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels, and assists in developing, marketing, and operationalizing the clinical infrastructure and activities related to employer and payer strategies. 

Melissa
Gilkerson

Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Melissa drives the AccessHope brand and marketing strategy and oversees member engagement. Her 20 years of experience include successive leadership roles with StayWell as well as positions with Willis Towers Watson and RBC Capital Markets.

Cory
Morin

Vice President, Foundational Partners

Cory is the VP of Foundational Partners for AccessHope. He brings 17 years of project/program management and leadership experience in the healthcare industry to his role.

Get started with AccessHope today

AccessHope’s team of specialists is ready to help plan the best suite of cancer support services for your employees.

Get started

 

Stay in Touch

For a quarterly update from AccessHope created just for consultants and brokers, simply share your email address with us.

References:

1 National Cancer Institute. Data table 3: Reportable patients/participation in therapeutic studies. National Institute of Health Web site. https://cancercenters.cancer.gov/DT/DT3. Accessed June 4, 2021.

2 American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2020/cancer-facts-and-figures-2020.pdf. Accessed September 8, 2022.

3 Business Group on Health. 2023 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey. August 2022. Available at: https://www.businessgrouphealth.org/ resources/2023-large-employers-health-care-strategy-survey-intro

4 American Association for Cancer Research. AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2020. https://cancerprogressreport.aacr.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/AACR_CDPR_2020.pdf. Published 2020. Accessed October 6, 2020.

5 West HJ, Tan YA, Barzi A, Wong D, Parsley R, Sachs T. Novel program offering remote, asynchronous subspecialist input in thoracic oncology: Early experience and insights gained during the COVID-19 pandemic [published online ahead of print December 3, 2021]. JCO Oncology Practice. doi:10.1200/OP.21.00339

UT Southwestern Medical Center Partners with AccessHope to extend nationwide access to cancer expertise 

Read the Press Release