New England Cancer Specialists to join Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative

First physician practice to become a member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative 

Boston, MA and Scarborough, ME – New England Cancer Specialists is the newest member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative, it was announced today. Participation in the Collaborative reflects a demonstrated commitment to excellence by meeting a wide array of standards and best practices. While New England Cancer Specialists is the first physician practice to become a member of the Collaborative, the two organizations have a long history of informal collaboration reaching back more than 30 years.

As part of the membership process, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute clinicians and specialists conducted an extensive review of New England Cancer Specialists’ adult medical oncology practices and procedures at three locations in Maine – Kennebunk, Scarborough and Topsham –looking at patient safety protocols, nursing and pharmacy practices, chemotherapy administration, and information systems. New England Cancer Specialists met the high standards required by the review.

The Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative helps disseminate the latest and most effective, evidence-based best practices and standards to its members. Members of the Cancer Care Collaborative take advantage of ongoing consultations and access to support services, such as on-site specialty second opinion clinics, clinical trials, tumor board conferences and physician lectures.

Dana-Farber and New England Cancer Specialists will collaborate on enhancing patient access to Dana-Farber for next day appointments as needed. New England Cancer Specialists will have access to Dana-Farber’s clinical trials, and various education and training programs for physicians and staff, including the Collaborative’s tumor boards where complex cases are discussed with specialists at Dana-Farber. Dana-Farber will also assist New England Cancer Specialists as the practice further develops existing patient programs in areas such as palliative care, genetic counseling, and survivorship.

Eastern Maine Medical Center and New England Cancer Specialists are the only two members of the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative in Maine at this time.

“We are very pleased to welcome all the physicians and staff of New England Cancer Specialists as a new member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative. We are excited about working together in Southern Maine with a strong partner such as New England Cancer Specialists. The Collaborative furthers our core mission to relieve the burden of cancer for as many people as possible which is done by conducting research to develop new and better therapies, providing expert and compassionate care for patients, and extending our expertise and working with other carefully selected care providers, such as New England Cancer Specialists,” said Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, President and CEO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“Joining the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative is an exciting next step in the working relationship we have enjoyed over the past three decades. We are very pleased to have been recognized as meeting the high standards of such a distinguished institution, and welcome the opportunity to expand access to the best cancer care to our patients and communities,” said Chiara Battelli, MD, President of New England Cancer Specialists.  
“We are very proud of our longstanding working relationship with Dana-Farber,” said Steve D’Amato, CEO of New England Cancer Specialists. “We are thrilled to be the first physician practice to become a member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative. This will allow us to continue to expand access to top-quality care to the communities we serve.” 

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Ellen Berlin, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
ellen_berlin@dfci.harvard.edu
617-632-4090
 
Victoria Foley, New England Cancer Specialists
Foleyv@newecs.org
office: 207-303-3225 or mobile: 207-409-5115