AccessHope and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Announce Foundational Partnership, Extending Access to Cancer Expertise Across the United States

AccessHope and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Announce Foundational Partnership, Extending Access to Cancer Expertise Across the United States

• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute joins City of Hope and Northwestern Medicine to enable nationwide remote delivery of expertise for employers, cancer patients and their treating oncologists.
• AccessHope's employer plan members and their treating oncologists will be matched with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute specialists for case review and treatment plan recommendations to optimize care and help improve patient outcomes.
• The collaboration comes at a crucial time, when delays in cancer screenings and treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic are leading to later-stage diagnoses and a greater need to remotely support patients unwilling or unable to travel.

DUARTE, Calif., and BOSTON — (June 29, 2021) — AccessHope, LLC, a company that provides cancer expertise to employers and their health care partners, today announced a new foundational partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, extending member access to specialized cancer expertise to more people living with complex cancers across the United States. Dana-Farber joins two National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers — City of Hope and Northwestern Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University — in a novel collaboration that delivers advanced, expert knowledge for employees with cancer and their local treating oncologists, as well as cancer support services.

“The AccessHope program deploys the latest cancer care knowledge to the places and people who need it most, when it is most valuable, wherever they are located,” said AccessHope CEO Mark Stadler. “By adding Dana-Farber as a new foundational partner alongside City of Hope and Northwestern Medicine, we expand our ability to connect plan members with world-renowned specialists who can review their cases and share insights with their local treating oncologists to help improve clinical outcomes, enhance quality of life, and optimize cancer treatment plans.”

Cancer experts from Dana-Farber will provide expertise for AccessHope’s core services — Accountable Precision Oncology, Expert Advisory Review and Cancer Support Team — to employers and their plan members in Northeast states including Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, as well as patients from all across the United States. Through an employer benefit, employees of AccessHope clients have access to AccessHope’s network of oncology experts. The medical specialists are at the forefront of the latest cancer research and lifesaving discoveries, and they can guide individuals and their treating oncologists to the newest personalized treatments, such as clinical trials or breakthrough medications, and genetic/genomic testing and targeted therapies.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute blends leading science and exceptional care into transformative medicine and is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Dana-Farber cares for adults and children challenged with cancer, blood disorders and related diseases with world-renowned specialists, providing comprehensive and personalized care for each patient and support for their families.

Dana-Farber’s specialized treatment centers are staffed by teams of experts who work closely together to offer patients the latest therapies and strategies, including access to more than 1,100 therapeutic and non-therapeutic clinical trials.

“The extraordinary pace of innovations in cancer research and care can sometimes make it challenging for oncologists everywhere to keep up with rapidly evolving practices, especially if they are managing many types of cancer every day,” said Eric Winer, M.D., chief clinical development officer and Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research, Dana-Farber. “Through our new collaboration with AccessHope, Dana-Farber specialists can be helpful resources to community oncologists, particularly when treating patients with complex cancers. Joining forces with AccessHope is a part of our commitment to sharing the very latest science, extraordinary care and exceptional expertise with those who need it.”

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the rise in telehealth over the past year and a half, amplifying the need to rethink cancer care and the patient experience. Regardless of location, employees of AccessHope clients who are diagnosed with cancer, along with their local treating oncologist, can benefit from the expertise of specialists knowledgeable in the latest cancer discoveries for review of diagnosis, treatment plan and personalized precision medicine opportunities, as well as clinical trial information and support services. AccessHope's cancer support services help employees navigate the complexity of a cancer diagnosis to improve quality of life and health outcomes, help people return to their work and lives, and reduce expenses.

Today, AccessHope serves approximately 2.3 million plan members who have its cancer support services through 43 employers including Adobe and Pitney Bowes, and through collaborative relationships with Health Transformation Alliance and Quantum Health.

Following AccessHope’s national launch as a wholly owned subsidiary of City of Hope, Northwestern Medicine, a nationally recognized health system in Chicago that includes the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, was the first organization to join AccessHope as a foundational partner in the fall of 2020. Northwestern Medicine has extended its subspecialists’ expertise to AccessHope’s services throughout the Midwest, enabling AccessHope’s employer plan members and their treating oncologists to be matched with Northwestern Medicine and Lurie Cancer Center cancer specialists for case review and treatment plan recommendations.

“When we first formed AccessHope, our vision was to continuously increase its reach and impact to patients across the U.S. through new partnerships. We are pleased that one of the world’s leading academic cancer institutes, Dana-Farber, has joined AccessHope. This partnership not only will deliver significant benefit to employers and cancer patients, but also further validates the value proposition of AccessHope’s unique approach,” said Harlan Levine, M.D., president of strategy and business ventures, City of Hope, and chair of the board for AccessHope. “By leveraging remote delivery of cutting-edge insights and knowledge from clinical research, we are able to help people with cancer and their treating physicians benefit from the latest cancer care expertise, close to home.”

To learn more about AccessHope and its services, visit myaccesshope.org.

To learn more about Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, visit dana-farber.org.

AccessHope, LLC, believes in putting the ever-growing body of cancer knowledge to work for the greater good. The company delivers a revolutionary cancer benefit that connects employees with cancer to the latest cancer knowledge from City of Hope, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Northwestern Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, accessing the expertise of National Cancer Institute–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. AccessHope is sharing the latest discoveries in cancer care and working with local oncologists to help develop precise plans for treatment. The company brings the vast expertise of major medical centers to people near and far. They never have to switch doctors. They never have to leave home. It’s simply a better approach to cancer care. And getting better every day. A wholly owned subsidiary of City of Hope, a world-renowned independent cancer research and treatment center, AccessHope offers the benefit to 2.3 million members through 43 employers, including 19 Fortune 500 companies. For more information about AccessHope, visit myaccesshope.org and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.