PMC and OMNI Join Forces Against Cancer

Parrish Medical Center—one of America’s most recognized hospitals for quality and safety—and OMNI Healthcare, Brevard County’s only physician-owned and managed multispecialty group, have partnered to create Parrish Cancer Center.

The new Parrish Cancer Center is Brevard’s only Commission on Cancer accredited program, a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, and will open November 1, 2016. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has agreed to participate in the ribbon-cutting celebration when the Parrish Cancer Center is completed. Details will be announced in the next several weeks.

“Parrish and OMNI Healthcare are partnering to make sure people have a choice and greater access to quality cancer care, said George Mikitarian, President/CEO, Parrish Medical Center/Parrish Healthcare. “OMNI Healthcare is an exceptional organization of physicians, and we’re very happy to be teaming with OMNI to form Parrish Cancer Center,” said Mikitarian.

“Collaborations like this serve to improve access to quality care while lowering overall healthcare costs,” said Craig K. Deligdish, M.D, President, OMNI Healthcare and Board-certified Medical Oncologist.

“Parrish and OMNI offer a winning combination for cancer patients, said Deligdish.

“Every prize fighter has a team of experts in their corner before, during, and after the fight. It is no different when it comes to fighting cancer, We have assembled a comprehensive network of world class researchers, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, therapists, together with state-of-the-art technology and other resources that will be in your corner every step of the way from cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery,” said Mikitarian.

Parrish Cancer Center is part of the Parrish Healthcare certified integrated care network. Parrish is the first (and as of this writing the only) system in the nation to be certified in integrated care. The key elements of integrated care include (1) care is carefully coordinated with the patient with emphasis on his or her entire medical condition and health; (2) care and treatment is evidence-based to produce quality outcomes, and continually improved by measuring and benchmarking results in accordance with the nation’s best practices; (3) care is accessible and efficient, with treatment provided in the highest-quality, lowest-cost, and most healing environment for superior patient experiences.

The new cancer center will incorporate advanced technology from Varian Medical Systems for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery, as well as Varian’s ARIA® oncology information system and Eclipse™ treatment planning software.

“Developments in linear accelerator technology are making it possible to treat tumors with unprecedented precision, while minimizing the impact on surrounding healthy tissues, and Varian is the world leader in these technologies,” said Deligdish. “By using the ARIA system to manage these treatments, we’ll be able to mine and analyze aggregated treatment data to continually enhance the quality of care as well as the efficiency of our clinical operations.”

“OMNI physicians are constantly seeking ways to improve and strengthen care to enable our patients to have the best possible outcomes in defeating cancer,” said Deligdish.

“Parrish has a statewide and national reputation for the quality of its care. OMNI and Parrish have the same purpose and pursue it the same way, with patients’ wellbeing at the forefront. Together OMNI and Parrish are going to enable cancer patients to achieve great outcomes,” Deligdish said.

OMNI Healthcare was founded in Melbourne, Florida in 1994, and has six Brevard County offices and continues to grow. OMNI represents a comprehensive complement of primary care and specialty care physicians, including, but not limited to, oncology, hematology, radiology, general surgery, orthopedics, gastroenterology, rheumatology, endocrinology, internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, etc.

OMNI Healthcare will operate and staff the Parrish Cancer Center with board-certified cancer treatment physicians in addition to a specially trained team of oncology nurses and care partners.

Parrish and OMNI Healthcare will also be partnering with Oncology Resource Networks. Oncology Resource Networks (ORN) will be providing a series of programs that will help Parrish and OMNI implement a value-based cancer program that will enhance the center’s commitment to evidence based medicine, patient centered care and affordability.

ORN will be implementing its Oncology Value Profile, utilizing the Oncology Care Optimizer, a state-of-the-art population health software program that measures quality metrics and incentivizes cost effective cancer treatment. ORN supports providers in their transition from a volume-based to a value-based practice through custom tailored programs that improve quality and efficiency.

Parrish Cancer Center is located at 845 Century Medical Drive in Titusville. The 8,782-square-foot, state-of-the-art cancer center will include medical oncology services; radiation therapy using the VitalBeam™ radiotherapy system that enables the treatment of advanced cases efficiently and accurately; IV infusion suite; the latest treatments, the most up-to-date prevention education; as well as the most advanced diagnostic equipment, including access to Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan). This nuclear medicine scan can detect cancer and other diseases long before it can be seen on X-rays, CT Scans, Ultrasound or MRI.

Additionally, Parrish Cancer Center is proud to be a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which provides access to the very latest clinical research and works together to resolve hard-to-solve medical problems. Nationally, Parrish is one of only 29 Mayo Clinic Care Network members.

Another unique feature of the Parrish Cancer Center is its patient navigation services for individualized support, care coordination, empowerment and advocacy to assure patients’ needs are met. Parrish’s patient navigator is a highly trained oncology nurse who is dedicated to guiding (“navigating”) patients through the healthcare system throughout the course of their cancer care; and has the appropriate skills and access to education related to cancer treatments, pathology, palliative care and many other resources, including Parrish’s Healing Arts program and Look Good Feel Better boutique that provides free accessories to cancer patients.

New patients are welcome and most insurances are accepted. For more information, visit here.