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When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) launched the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) in July 2023, it marked a significant shift toward using clinical and sociodemographic data to support claims-based quality measurement, health equity insights, and value-based payment evaluation. By capturing richer clinical context, these data points help CMMI to more accurately assess cancer severity, treatment quality, patient complexity, and disparities to identify barriers to care.
This level of reporting is essential, but it also requires thoughtful coordination across participating practices to address data capture, standardization, and interoperability demands. As a result, technology solutions that can automate data extraction, normalize clinical information, and support standards-based submission are critical to helping practices manage reporting and enable participation in the EOM.
Early Success Highlighted the Need for Change
During EOM Performance Periods (PP) 1 and 2, practices across The US Oncology Network (The Network) — an organization of independent, community-based oncology providers supported by McKesson — successfully reported required EOM clinical and sociodemographic data using raw data extracts from the iKnowMed® EHR supplemented by manual chart review. Although this approach worked, it required manual effort, repeated re-entry of beneficiary information, and specific formatting. Quality Program Leads (QPLs) quickly recognized opportunities to make the reporting process more sustainable.
Technology Innovation Driven by Practice Feedback
In response, The Network intensified its focus on technology innovation for Performance Period 3. Guided by feedback from EOM-participating practices, the goal was to improve operational efficiency and strengthen data integrity through scalable, practice-informed solutions. Rather than introducing generic reporting enhancements, The Network focused on automating repeatable tasks, reducing manual effort, and integrating data capture naturally into routine workflows.
These efforts demonstrate how feedback from practices can influence the technology used to support successful participation in data-intensive value-based care models like EOM.
A Collective Effort Led to Success
QPLs from select EOM practices played a central role in shaping the development of supplemental reporting tools. Their insights highlighted reporting elements that required precise formatting, consistent extraction logic, and significant manual effort, which often represented the “last mile” between standard outputs and the detailed data elements required for CMMI submission.
To bridge this gap, the Value-based Care (VBC) Practice Experience Lead was charged with supporting oncology practices in navigating value-based care requirements. Combining clinical expertise, hands-on experience with EOM workflows, and fluency in both operational and technical domains, the VBC Practice Experience Lead translated QPL feedback into actionable, technically sound specifications developers could implement.
Through structured end-user engagement, workflow observation, and iterative feedback loops, the VBC Practice Experience Lead worked with QPLs to identify high-effort, high-risk reporting tasks. In parallel, close collaboration with developers ensured that data logic, tool design, and output formatting aligned precisely with CMMI requirements, reducing ambiguity, rework, and downstream data integrity issues. This approach ensured solutions addressed not only data extraction, but also how data is captured, validated, and maintained across performance periods.
Practice Perspectives Shaped Scalable Solutions
To ensure solutions would work across environments, the VBC Practice Experience Lead selected two practices within The US Oncology Network for collaboration based on their differing scale and reporting needs:
- Texas Oncology provided insight into the challenges of standardizing and scaling data extraction across a large beneficiary population and multiple EHR instances, ensuring solutions could support high data volume and complexity.
- Virginia Cancer Specialists (VCS) contributed perspectives from a smaller, highly focused data team, helping refine usability, formatting, and accuracy for practices with limited manual resources.
Key Technology Developments
Based on QPL feedback, The Network implemented targeted enhancements to address staff time constraints, manual data extraction, and reporting complexity:
- EOM Beneficiary Data Carry-Forward Functionality
This feature extracts existing EOM beneficiary data from prior performance periods and automatically populates it into the next reporting template. For patients with subsequent EOM episodes, previously completed clinical information carries forward, significantly reducing duplicate data entry and accelerating preparation for each performance period. - Integrated Task Management for Data Gaps
New self-service iKnowMed® EHR reports allow users to identify EOM-flagged patients with missing or incomplete required data elements. These reports generate on-demand task lists that guide providers and staff to complete specific fields during routine care, rather than at the end of the reporting period. Shifting data capture to the point of care improves completeness, reduces end-of-period cleanup, and supports timely, accurate submissions.
Measurable Efficiencies in Performance Period 3
Both Texas Oncology and VCS operated within a 30-day reporting window in PP3, but with different scale and staffing models.
Texas Oncology, with over 5,100 patients enrolled in PP1, previously estimated approximately 900 hours of chart update and abstraction work requiring overtime and temporary support. After validating the Beneficiary Data Carry-Forward Functionality across a high-volume, multi-EHR environment, the practice found that carried-forward data accounted for approximately 60% of required abstraction in PP3. With targeted prework and two dedicated staff members, the team completed abstraction in under three weeks while significantly reducing overtime.
At VCS, a single QPL had completed 525 patient abstractions across PP1 and PP2, managing requirement clarification, formatting, and data quality independently. Without carry-forward capabilities, PP2 required full manual reentry of PP1 data. With the new functionality and enhanced data gap reporting, VCS reduced abstraction time by approximately 95% and completed PP3 reporting in about 1.5 days, with minimal resubmissions.
Technology’s Role in Sustainable Value-Based Care
Data-intensive models like EOM depend on reliable, timely information, but long-term sustainability hinges on how that data is operationalized within everyday workflows. Technology alone does not drive success. Strong outcomes emerge from partnership between those managing reporting on the ground and those translating real-world needs into scalable technical solutions.
By pairing direct QPL feedback with the specialized leadership of a VBC Practice Experience Lead, organizations can develop reporting tools that reflect real workflows and efficient data capture. These approaches reduce manual effort, strengthen data integrity, and return time to QPLs and care teams. As value-based oncology models evolve, technology that’s grounded in real-world needs and guided by clinically informed leadership will remain a critical enabler of sustained participation, operational efficiency, and high-quality, accessible cancer care.
Vera Macon
Vera Macon is the Value-based Care Practice Experience Lead for The US Oncology Network. An informatics nurse leader and former oncology nurse, she brings expertise in value-based care, clinical quality improvement, and EHR implementation. In her role, she translates complex regulatory and operational requirements into clear, actionable reporting workflows that support clinical and administrative performance, with a focus on measurable outcomes and sustainable quality improvement.
Karen Miller
Karen Miller is the Operational Excellence Administrator, Nursing, for Virginia Cancer Specialists, a practice within The US Oncology Network. A registered nurse by training, she brings a strong clinical perspective along with experience in revenue cycle management, quality improvement, and data integrity. She leads a team focused on advancing quality initiatives and delivering reliable data to support informed clinical and operational decision-making.
Terry Jensen
Terry Jensen is the Executive Director Quality Programs at Texas Oncology, a practice within The US Oncology Network. She brings a blend of financial, operational, and quality improvement expertise, with a background as a Certified Public Accountant and Lean consultant. She has led enterprise-wide process improvement initiatives and holds an MBA and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
