Anderson, MD, Community Health Network’s Comprehensive Cancer Program Partner

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Indianapolis Public Health Network are collaborating on a clinical and research program for cancer in central Indiana, the health system said Thursday.

Called the Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center, the new program will give local doctors access to MD Anderson experts for peer-to-peer consultations, and patients access to innovative cancer treatments, clinical trials and research studies, according to a press release. . The new partnership is the first for MD Anderson in six years.

The seven community cancer centers have been members of MD Anderson’s Cancer Network for nine years. Under the new partnership, the centers will follow the same standards of care and provide medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgery, pathology and diagnostic imaging, according to a press release.

“This partnership with MD Anderson combines the best of what the community already offers its patients with the added expertise of a world leader in cancer care,” said Brian Mills, President and CEO of Community Health Network.

The new partnership is part of Comprehensive Cancer Centers’ growing commitment to making their services available to more communities. In 2013, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York created an alliance of community cancer providers, starting with a system of five hospitals in Connecticut. In December, California’s City of Hope acquired Cancer Treatment Centers of America for $390 million, expanding its services to 115,000 patients nationwide.