ASCO’s Patient-Centered Oncology Payment Model (PCOP) Supports Higher Quality, More Affordable Cancer Care
ASCO recently released a major update to its Patient-Centered Oncology Payment Model (PCOP), an alternative payment model designed to support transformation in cancer care delivery and reimbursement while ensuring that patients with cancer have access to high-quality, high-value care.
PCOP addresses an array of pressures facing cancer care, including the growing financial burdens on patients and families and increasing administrative burdens on practices as a result of expanding utilization management requirements.
ASCO's model transforms cancer care using three major approaches:
- Improved care delivery and coordination through an oncology medical home framework, which has shown improved outcomes and reduced costs
- A performance-based reimbursement system that relies on patient-centered standards and transitions to bundled payments
- Consistent delivery of high-quality care using clinical pathways that adhere to ASCO criteria
PCOP would be implemented in "communities" – multidisciplinary networks of oncology providers and practices; federal, state, and private payers; employers; and regional health networks – aligned to support patient-centered cancer care.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) issued a Request for Information about next steps following the completion of the agency's Oncology Care Model (OCM) in 2021. ASCO intends to submit PCOP as a way to expand the OCM experience and would be an appropriate next step in innovation following the conclusion of the OCM performance periods.
If you are interested in participating in or learning more about PCOP, or any of ASCO's physician payment reform efforts, please contact the Care Delivery team at caredelivery@asco.org.
Read ASCO's Patient-Centered Oncology Payment: A Community-Based Oncology Medical Home Model.