Cancer Care Split: Two Paths, One Goal

For over 25 years, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital worked together to provide excellent cancer care. But now, they're splitting up. Dana-Farber is teaming up with Beth Israel Lahey Health to build a freestanding cancer center. Meanwhile, Brigham and Women's Hospital is joining forces with Massachusetts General Hospital to create the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. Both models have their perks, but which one will be better? Only time will tell. Dana-Farber's new plan focuses on a hospital dedicated solely to cancer care. This means everything, from nurses to infection control, will be geared towards cancer patients. Studies show that specialized hospitals like this have better outcomes. Dr. Craig Bunnell, chief medical officer at Dana-Farber, believes that the more you specialize, the better you get. For example, their acute care clinic, staffed with oncology-trained clinicians, has been able to treat and send home 80% of patients who would otherwise have been hospitalized. On the other hand, Mass General Brigham is aiming for a model of coordinated care within a larger hospital. This means patients will be treated by teams of specialists, making it easier to consult physicians who deal with mental health stressors, pain, fertility issues, and side effects of chemotherapy. Dr. David Ryan, physician-in-chief at Mass General Brigham Cancer, believes this will allow for better care. The goal is to maintain consistency across all their locations, from Boston to smaller community health centers. Regulators should make sure both plans are viable. They need to check if there's a real demand for the extra 300 beds at the new Dana-Farber facility. It’s crucial to ensure high-quality care at a reasonable cost. Competition between the two centers could drive them to offer the best possible care. After all, the real competition isn’t between them, but against cancer itself. With cancer on the rise, especially among young people, and survivors living longer, there’s a growing need for better care. Both models aim to provide just that.