UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have notified the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission that UMass Memorial plans to join the Dana-Farber Cancer Collaborative, covering adult oncology services.
Membership in the collaborative gives patients with complex cancer cases expedited access to Dana-Farber specialists and provides training and educational opportunities for doctors at member organizations, UMass Memorial said in a statement Monday afternoon.
UMass Memorial said it would be the first academic medical center to join the Dana-Farber Cancer Collaborative. The Health Policy Commission will review the plans before they are finalized.
As part of the vetting process, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute clinicians and other specialists conduct an extensive review of a potential member hospital’s oncology practices and procedures, including patient safety protocols, nursing and pharmacy practices, chemotherapy administration, and information systems, UMass Memorial said.
