AccessHope Announces Collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center to Expand Cancer Expertise Access in Southern States
● UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is the seventh National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center to join AccessHope’s network
● Nationally recognized oncologists from UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center will review cases for AccessHope’s employer plan members to help their treating oncologists optimize cancer treatment plans
AccessHope, LLC, a company changing the way leading-edge cancer expertise is delivered, today announced that UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center will become the seventh National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated center in the AccessHope network. Through this collaboration, more people living with complex cancer will have access to insights on targeted treatments and potential clinical trials from oncology experts at Simmons Cancer Center based in Dallas.
“Since its inception, AccessHope’s mission has been to deploy the latest cancer care knowledge to the places and people who need it most, when it is most valuable — ensuring that every member, no matter where they live, has access to the best treatment knowledge to meet their unique needs,” said AccessHope CEO Brad Kreick. “The addition of Simmons Cancer Center to our growing roster of foundational partners further extends our ability to help more people with cancer. Working together, we can ensure more members benefit from the latest research, clinical insights, and effective treatment plans recommended by leading experts in the field.”
Cancer specialists from Simmons Cancer Center will provide expert clinical insights for AccessHope’s employer plan members and their treating oncologists in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
Simmons Cancer Center draws its 265 clinical and research members from 36 departments across UT Southwestern, one of the premier medical centers in the U.S. It is the only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas and is ranked among the nation’s top 20 hospitals for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report. With Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in kidney and lung cancer, over $110 million in total cancer-focused research funding, and 15 multidisciplinary disease-oriented teams, Simmons Cancer Center conducts laboratory, clinical, and population-based research, leading to new drugs and treatments designed to improve patient care and ultimately save lives.
“Through our groundbreaking research and exceptional patient care, we strive to ease the burden of cancer in North Texas and beyond,” said Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D., Professor and Director of Simmons Cancer Center and Associate Dean of Oncology Programs at UT Southwestern. “By joining forces with AccessHope, we are able to further broaden our impact by providing more patients with recommendations of the most up-to-date and impactful treatments.”
In addition to Simmons Cancer Center, AccessHope has partnered with six other NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers: City of Hope, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, and Northwestern Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
Patients who receive care at an NCI-Designated Cancer Center have significantly better outcomes, including improved long-term survival and strengthened treatment guideline adherence, yet only 20% of patients have access to these elite facilities. AccessHope’s ability to connect members to remote cancer support services aims to extend oncology expertise across the United States, in every state and ZIP code, reducing cancer health disparities while allowing plan members to stay close to home.