American Society of Clinical Oncology National Census of Oncology Practices: preliminary report

Abstract

In response to reports of increasing financial and administrative burdens on oncology practices and a lack of systematic information related to these issues, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) leadership started an effort to collect key practice-level data from all oncology practices in the United States. The result of the effort is the ASCO National Census of Oncology Practices (Census) launched in June 2012. The initial Census work involved compiling an inventory of oncology practices from existing lists of oncology physicians in the United States. A comprehensive, online data collection instrument was developed, which covered a number of areas, including practice characteristics (staffing configuration, organizational structure, patient mix and volume, types of services offered); organizational, staffing, and service changes over the past 12 months; and an assessment of the likelihood that the practice would experience organizational, staffing, and service changes in the next 12 months. More than 600 practices participated in the Census by providing information. In this article, we present preliminary highlights from the data gathered to date. We found that practice size was related to having experienced practice mergers, hiring additional staff, and increasing staff pay in the past 12 months, that geographic location was related to having experienced hiring additional staff, and that practices in metropolitan areas were more likely to have experienced practice mergers in the past 12 months than those in nonmetropolitan areas. We also found that practice size and geographic location were related to higher likelihoods of anticipating practice mergers, sales, and purchases in the future.

Figure 1.

Oncology practice data compilation. AMA, American Medical Association; ASCO, American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Figure 2.

Number of oncology physicians in practice (n = 555 practices).

Figure 3.

Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) certified oncology nurses in practice (n = 468 practices).

Figure 4.

Practice specialties reported (n = 632 practices). Gyn, gynecologic.

Figure 5.

Services provided by practices (n = 632 practices).

Figure 6.

Practice electronic health record (EHR)/electronic medical record (EMR) use (n = 597 practices).

Figure 7.

Practice patient insurance mix (n = 473 practices).

Figure 8.

Average number of new patients treated in the past 12 months per practice (n = 449 practices).