UK HealthCare, Lexington Clinic considering partnership to enhance cancer care
UK HealthCare and Lexington Clinic are discussing an affiliation that will enhance and expand outpatient cancer care throughout Central Kentucky.
Under the proposed collaboration, oncology, infusion and radiation services currently provided by Lexington Clinic at the John D. Cronin Cancer Center on Harrodsburg Road in Lexington and the Richmond Regional Oncology Center in Richmond will be delivered in coordination with the UK Markey Cancer Center.
Founded in 1920, Lexington Clinic is a community-focused health center and the largest independent multi-specialty group in Kentucky with more than 200 providers in 30 specialties.
“Lexington Clinic is committed to helping build a healthier community, and this partnership with UK HealthCare allows us to reach more patients and offer expanding, innovative cancer care to the people of Central Kentucky,” said Dr. Andrew H. Henderson, Lexington Clinic CEO.
UK HealthCare is focused on bolstering its outpatient services in critical clinical areas such as cancer. A relationship with Lexington Clinic would, among other things, potentially expand the number of patients who could participate in clinical trials, which is crucial to the development of new drugs and therapies at the UK Markey Cancer Center, the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated program. It also creates opportunities to boost UK’s tripartite mission of excellence in research, education and clinical care in the Bluegrass.
"Lexington Clinic is an extraordinary physician organization with deep roots in our community,” said Dr. Mark F. Newman, UK executive vice president for health affairs. “This opportunity enables us to provide greater access to clinical trials and other academic-level medicine initiatives to more than 1,000 new cancer patients a year who may benefit from these services. Additionally, this affiliation helps us continue to focus on enhancing patient education and outpatient care to better serve UK employees and their families, as well as providing more accessible, cost-effective care to those who need it most throughout Fayette and the surrounding counties."
UK HealthCare and Lexington Clinic are in a 90-day period for due diligence, further negotiations and analysis to finalize their relationship that will augment patient survivorship, improve continuity of care and cancer screening, and improve cancer delivery for Central Kentucky patients.
Specifically, the two parties are discussing an agreement on how to effectively and efficiently manage clinical activities, which will include a professional services agreement for medical oncology and radiation oncology physicians that currently provide these and other clinical services in the Lexington Clinic practice.
