NIA, ACRO collaborate to create disease site-specific radiation oncology practice guidelines

National Imaging Associates (NIA), a subsidiary of Magellan Health Services (NASDAQ: MGLN), and the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), the professional medical society established for educational and scientific purposes to advance the science and practice of radiation oncology, today announced the signing of a collaborative agreement. This agreement will create an unprecedented relationship between a professional medical society and a specialty health benefits management organization in the management of radiation oncology programs. The resulting commitment of resources and expertise to radiation oncology benefits management sets the standard for ensuring that an optimal set of guidelines is established to support safe and appropriate patient care and reduce the inappropriate variability of radiation therapy treatment and costs among providers.

Cancer care is one of the fastest growing areas in medicine, due in large part to new technologies, new drugs, new indications for existing drugs, better diagnostic screenings, and an aging population. Radiation therapy is the treatment plan for 60 percent of cancer patients, yet there is considerable variation in how this care is delivered.

According to the agreement, ACRO will have a leading role in the development, maintenance, periodic updating and use of disease site-specific radiation oncology practice guidelines. Through this collaborative effort, ACRO will develop uniform national guidelines, owned by ACRO and licensed to NIA with an exclusive endorsement. This effort is designed to improve the delivery of professional radiation oncology services, as well as ancillary and related services, to patients throughout the United States.

Upon finalizing the collaborative agreement with ACRO, Tina Blasi, CEO of NIA, commented, "This is a monumental alliance between two organizations with similar missions to improve the quality and clinical appropriateness of patient care. We value our relationship with ACRO, and believe that this focused collaboration will help us continue to advance our commitment to promoting quality, safety and cost-effective care to patients undergoing radiation therapy treatment."

"One of the primary goals of the collaborative relationship between these two organizations will be enhancing the transparency of our guidelines and approach, as well as minimizing the administrative burden to our clients," noted Michael Pentecost, M.D., associate chief medical officer for NIA.

J. Michael Kerley, M.D., president of ACRO, commented, "ACRO is delighted to collaborate with NIA on this project by creating a series of evidence-based disease site-specific clinical guidelines that address the current standards of radiation oncology patient care, and which will facilitate a smooth administration of healthcare benefits provided by insurers, employers and others for patients and physicians in an era of healthcare reform that focuses on increasing quality while responsibly controlling costs."