Clinical OMICS

JUL-AUG 2017

Healthcare magazine for research scientists, labs, pathologists, hospitals, cancer centers, physicians and biopharma companies providing news articles, expert interviews and videos about molecular diagnostics in precision medicine

Issue link: https://clinicalomics.epubxp.com/i/853204

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 18 of 47

www.clinicalomics.com July/August 2017 Clinical OMICs 17 wide scale," Brisbin added. "In addi- tion, the investment in the Precision Medicine Oncology Center of Excel- lence will allow for investment in state of the art technologies and tools to ensure the service offering continues to advance as new information and capa- bilities become available." med fusion and ClearPoint are being acquired from co-owners that include Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH), Texas' largest not-for-profit health care system; The US Oncology Network (The Network), supported by McKesson Specialty Health, a divi- sion of McKesson Corp.; Texas Oncol- ogy; and Pathologists Bio-Medical Laboratories (PBM). Upon completion of the transac- tion, expected in the third quarter, Quest will become a preferred pro- vider of advanced oncology diagnos- tics for The Network, including its Texas Oncology affiliate. The Network consists of more than 400 locations across the U.S., with more than 1,400 independent, community-based phy- sicians, including the 420-plus physi- cians of Texas Oncology. The Precision Oncology Center of Excellence would be Quest's fifth cen- ter of excellence nationwide. Athena Diagnostics, Quest's neurological and rare disease business, is based at its Center of Excellence in Marlborough, MA. Full-service labs at the centers in San Juan Capistrano, CA, and Chan- tilly, VA, provide advanced services such as next-generation sequencing for inherited cancer screening and mass spectrometry for endocrinology. And the center in Valencia, CA, features a specialized lab focused on prescrip- tion drug monitoring and nephrology. Quest also operates full-service labs in Houston and Irving, TX. Advanced Diagnostics Services Quest said it will provide diagnostics services that include tumor sequenc- ing and other genomic and pathology testing through which oncologists select and monitor treatment and predict disease progression. Quest's preferred provider relationship will not include testing for inherited genetic conditions typically offered by non-oncologists, such as for BRCA breast cancer screening. However, Quest will be a preferred provider of a full range of inpatient and outpatient diagnostic services for 12 North Texas hospitals of BSWH, formed in 2013 from the merger of Baylor Health Care System and Scott & White Healthcare. The services will be offered from the center of excel- lence site in Lewisville upon close of the transaction. Quest and PBM will also have a preferred provider rela- tionship for several services once the deal is completed. Following the closing of the trans- action, Quest Diagnostics will collabo- rate with McKesson Specialty Health, The Network, and Texas Oncology on developing standardized, evi- dence-based services for guiding treatment decisions within the pro- viders' electronic medical record and care plan workflow, through a model applied by med fusion. med fusion and Quest both have broad in-network coverage with most third-party commercial payers, Bris- bin and Bost noted. "We are in early stages of planning our transition, but we believe the stan- dardized, evidence– and guideline– based approach to precision medicine diagnostics envisioned for this rela- tionship may be appealing to health plans. Added Bost: "Quest's goal is to develop and grow from the founda- tion created by med fusion-Clear- Point. We are in early phases of this transaction, but over time we expect to consider ways to infuse new resources and energy into their approach to take it to the next level." A scientist processes samples for next-generation sequencing. Quest is acquiring two labs in Texas to launch a center of excellence in precision medicine diagnostics for cancer.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Clinical OMICS - JUL-AUG 2017