BLUFFTON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The management committee of PathForward Oncology, LLC, a joint venture between CareCore National and D3 Oncology Solutions, an affiliate of UPMC Cancer Centers, announced today the appointment of Brian J. Litten as its first chief executive officer. The company offers cancer care pathways, or evidence-based clinical algorithms, to standardize best practices for chemotherapy-based treatment and related services, developed at UPMC, to health insurers and their oncology networks nationwide. In this new role, Litten will oversee the forging of meaningful partnerships between physicians who provide cancer care and health insurance companies.
Litten previously served as vice president of strategic and external affairs for a for-profit subsidiary of Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia and, prior, as an executive with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Litten is a trustee of the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, the world’s largest bio-bank and a leading-edge innovator in the study of the human genome. He is also a senior fellow at the Thomas Jefferson University Medical College’s School of Population Health in Philadelphia. Throughout his career Litten has served on several government-based health care study commissions and was the longest serving chair of the New Jersey Association of Health Plans. For five years he was an attorney on the senior executive staff of the New Jersey Attorney General.
"Brian has the exact combination of experience and skills to make PathForward the premier cancer pathway provider, and I have full confidence in his ability to do just that," said Richard Weininger, M.D., a management committee member from CareCore National, where he also serves as executive vice president for product development, chief medical officer and chairman of the board.
The pathways used by PathForward are currently deployed by D3 Oncology Solutions, one of the company’s joint venture partners throughout UPMC Cancer Centers and multiple physicians’ offices around the country.
“PathForward pathways provide better outcomes for patients, reward physician participation and lower overall medical costs,” said Litten. “In this rapidly changing American health care system, it’s extremely rewarding to lead an organization that has a proven track record of addressing these issues.”
About PathForward
PathForward was created in January 2011 as a joint venture between CareCore National, LLC, and D3 Oncology Solutions, an affiliate of UPMC Cancer Centers. Since then, the company has undertaken extensive research and analysis has to prove the implementation of PathForward’s technology and its physician-driven guidance results in better outcomes and reduced costs. New cancer treatment drugs are being introduced routinely. PathForward assists physicians in determining the appropriate use of these drugs as determined by evidenced-based best practices set forth through a variety of respected sources, including UPMC Cancer Centers academic and community physician committees that meet quarterly to reassess and update the PathForward product.
About CareCore National
CareCore National, LLC (www.carecorenational.com) is the nation’s largest specialty benefits management company. Founded in 1994 to offer radiology benefit management services, CareCore National, LLC has since developed specialty benefit management programs design to manage benefits specific to cardiology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, sleep apnea, musculoskeletal management and, most recently, lab management services. CareCore currently contracts with more than 30 health plans with over 70 million insured. The company is headquartered in Bluffton, SC and has more than 1,200 employees.
About D3 Oncology Solutions
The mission of D3 Oncology Solutions is to develop and deliver leading edge solutions that accelerate the quality, safety, efficiency and outcomes of cancer patients’ care at medical and radiation oncology centers around the world.
With unmatched expertise for more than a decade, D3 has assisted hundreds of cancer centers in the United States and internationally. D3’s solutions are guided by close collaboration with leading medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and medical physicists at UPMC and UPMC Cancer Centers.
From flexible options for linear accelerator commissioning, clinical training and radiation treatment planning to tools and programs that support clinical quality such as Via Oncology Pathways, D3’s suite of solutions accelerates excellence in the delivery of cancer care.
D3 is an affiliate of UPMC, an integrated global health enterprise headquartered in Pittsburgh and one of the leading health systems in the United States. For more information, visit www.d3onc.com or call (412) 365-0710.