AccessHope closes the cancer knowledge gap with access to renowned NCI expertise
AccessHope connects employees who have been diagnosed with cancer and their community-based oncologists to renowned cancer expertise from National Cancer Institute (NCI)–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers to help identify the right treatment early on for the best outcomes possible.
We proudly partner with NCI centers to remotely deliver the latest cancer knowledge to the people and places who need it most.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Read MoreEmory Healthcare
Emory Healthcare
Read MoreFred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Read MoreJohns Hopkins Medicine
Kimmel Cancer Center
Read MoreNorthwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine
Read MoreUT Southwestern Medical Center
Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Read MoreWhere breakthroughs begin.
NewsroomCity 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.AccessHope revolutionizes the process by:
Providing members and their local oncologists access to expertise and support that can save lives, regardless of their location.
Operating with a mission to deploy the latest cancer care knowledge whenever and wherever it’s needed most.
Offering expertise that can reduce expenses that result from a lack of the latest knowledge, including unnecessary testing and inappropriate treatments.
Supporting Members
Members can request a full case review for any cancer type, providing peace of mind that their treatment plan with their community oncologist is on the right path. Members and their families also gain access to compassionate nurses who can offer information and empowerment whenever they need it. This commitment to overall support has earned this service a world-class net promoter score of 90.
Supporting Plans
AccessHope’s algorithms work in collaboration with the member’s health plan to securely send certain cancer cases to our subspecialists, who can offer advice to that plan that the treating oncologist can reference — without any action required by the member.
Hear from a plan sponsor
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.1
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How do community oncologists react to the doctor-to-doctor conversations?
Community oncologists who participated in clinical consultation calls (CCCs) with an AccessHope expert responded positively and are appreciative of our recommendations: small studies have concluded that there is high adoption, and treating oncologists are implementing some or all of our recommendations.
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How does AccessHope work in practice? What exactly do you do?
AccessHope connects members to expertise from NCI–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers—to provide unparalleled decision support to cancer patients’ treating physicians and health plans throughout the cancer journey.
Learn more about our suite of services.
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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.
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How do you provide expertise to members 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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Read moreMeet 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.
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.
Debra
Wong, M.D.
Vice President, Development and Integration, Clinical Strategy and Medical Director | AccessHope | Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research | City of Hope
Dr. Wong is a board-certified medical oncologist and a Medical Director at AccessHope, where she holds dual roles in teleoncology for local oncologists and their patients, and organizational strategy development. She maintains broad expertise in solid tumor oncology and advocates for integrating supportive care and quality-of-life measures into precision oncology care. For her humanity and whole-person approach, she has earned recognition among peers and patients alike.
Nitya
Nathwani, M.D.
Medical Director | AccessHope | Associate Professor, Division of Multiple Myeloma and Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation| City of Hope
Dr. Nathwani is AccessHope’s Medical Director of hematologic malignancies, transplantation, and cellular therapy. He is a multiple myeloma specialist and is also an Associate Professor in the Division of Multiple Myeloma and the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope. He has been the principal investigator at City of Hope for several high-profile clinical trials in multiple myeloma and led a study of older adults with the disease. The assessments performed by him, and his team were able to influence treatment decisions while potentially increasing the safety of myeloma therapy.
Brian
Beran
Vice President of Channel Partner Sales
Brian leads AccessHope’s channel sales across the United States with a focus on health plans, third-party administrators, and strategic collaborations. Leveraging nearly 15 years of experience in creating mutually successful partnerships and scalable growth for companies in the healthcare and benefits industry, he increases access to leading cancer expertise through AccessHope’s integrated solutions for employers of any size.
References:
1 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