Roche, Summit Cancer Centers to collaborate on use of new digital healthcare tools

INDIANAPOLIS -  Roche, a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics announced on the 13th of July  the formation of a collaboration with Summit Cancer Centers to explore the use of clinical decision support tools and artificial intelligence-type approaches to the management of patient health information to bring a distinctly personalized approach to care for patients with cancer. This Initiative will include first integration of NAVIFY Tumor Board software with OncoEMR system to incorporate electronic medical record information in tumor board reviews. "We are looking forward to working with one of the country's most innovative cancer care centers in using data and digital technology to improve patient care. This collaboration will also give us further insight into how healthcare information can be used to advance personalized healthcare, a key area of focus for Roche." said Ketan Paranjape, vice president of Diagnostic Information Solutions for Roche Diagnostics North America. Spokane, Washington-based Summit is an independent, physician-run integrated cancer care network with cancer treatment and imaging services at multiple locations throughout eastern Washington and Idaho. The initial phase of the collaboration will be to implement Roche's NAVIFY Tumor Board software to automatically pull relevant patient health data and other information from fragmented sources and compile a single, holistic patient dashboard to facilitate Summit's multidisciplinary tumor board discussions. The implementation of the cloud-based NAVIFY software will also include, for the first time, integration with the OncoEMR electronic medical record system, which Summit employs across its network, to include comprehensive, longitudinal patient health information in the tumor board review. The ability to integrate NAVIFY Tumor Board with the OncoEMR system is of particular significance to Summit because the OncoEMR system includes patient health data generated by different medical systems (e.g., testing labs, radiology images, etc.) that are needed for the evaluation, management and treatment of Summit's patients. The integration with the NAVIFY software allows Roche's decision support software to provide a more comprehensive patient health profile and facilitate a more efficient and more informed discussion during the tumor board. "This collaboration with Roche will help advance our mission to treat the whole person with cancer, rather than only the cancer itself. We believe every patient's case should be presented to a tumor board, but it can be a challenge to organize the extensive amount of data. The innovative digital approaches we are exploring with Roche can compile and streamline the information to make tumor boards more efficient and more relevant for the participants." said Arvind Chaudhry, MD, PhD, director of Summit Cancer Centers. As part of the joint initiative, Summit will also be exploring the use of several clinical decision support applications that are part of the NAVIFY portfolio. The integrated apps can extend the functionality of the software by bringing the latest knowledge about relevant clinical guidelines, published studies and clinical trials to the oncology care team.