Members of the MQii Leadership Team recently published a commentary in Supportive Care in Cancer about how and why quality nutrition care is integral to the Oncology Care Model (OCM) and can benefit patient health and provider outcomes.

The OCM is a CMS specialty model implemented in 2016 to provide higher quality and more highly coordinated oncology care at the same or lower costs by having clinics enter into payment arrangements that include financial and performance accountability for patients receiving chemotherapy treatment. They also commit to providing enhanced services to Medicare beneficiaries, including care coordination, navigation, and following national treatment guidelines. Yet while nutrition care is necessary to meet their needs, effectively improve outcomes, and lower costs, nutrition care in US oncology clinics is largely inadequate.

In “Quality nutrition care is integral to the Oncology Care Model,” Arensberg et al. argue that quality nutrition care aligns with the OCM practice requirements for enhanced services, such as patient navigation and treatment therapies consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines. The authors also note that implementing nutrition-focused quality improvement programs (like those being conducted by our Learning Collaborative members) support the recommendation to use data to drive continuous quality improvement and use of certified EHR technology.

For more information about the OCM and the forthcoming Oncology Care First model, read this recent Avalere Insight.