Stanford Health Care and Sutter Health sign letter of intent to explore East Bay oncology service

Stanford Health Care and Sutter Health have signed a letter of intent to formalize discussions focused on opportunities to jointly provide cancer care for patients and their families in the East Bay.

Initial activities between the two entities will focus on ways to build upon current and developing cancer-related services and care settings already in place within the two organizations’ respective networks, to explore ways to increase access to cancer clinical trials and to make other enhancements to choice and quality of care for East Bay patients and their families.

Discussions also include potential plans to develop an integrated, multidisciplinary cancer center in the East Bay, modeled on the highly successful Stanford Cancer Center South Bay concept. This outpatient cancer center would serve as a local hub for cancer care and offer East Bay patients and their families access to the most advanced, complete and coordinated care from screening through survivorship.

“With this new collaboration, Stanford Health Care aims to bring the full complement of its world-class cancer prevention, treatment and clinical research programs to serve patients in the East Bay,” said David Entwistle, president and CEO of Stanford Health Care. “Partnering with Sutter Health, with its well-established, high-quality cancer program in the area, is the ideal opportunity, and we are pleased to move forward with them in this effort.”

“As an integrated network, Sutter Health has proudly provided accessible, high-quality care to our patients across the East Bay for over a century, and we’re excited to build on this legacy,” said Sarah Krevans, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “This announcement is an example of Sutter and Stanford’s shared commitment as not-for-profit health systems to provide quality, compassionate and convenient care, and to do so in a way that delivers the best outcomes for our patients and our community.”

Julie Petrini, president of Bay Area Sutter Hospitals, agreed: “A collaboration between Sutter and Stanford is a natural fit, and one that will establish an unprecedented and easily accessible suite of services for all East Bay cancer patients. We are excited to formalize our discussions with Stanford through this LOI.”

Complete cancer care, delivered locally

The intent of the collaboration is to increase access to high-quality cancer care for patients as close to home as possible by building on the strength of Stanford’s leadership in cancer care and clinical research, the Stanford Medicine network, and Sutter’s integrated network. Both entities have a deep commitment to caring for the whole patient, and together their efforts will surround patients and their families with a full spectrum of coordinated, supportive care. The new East Bay oncology collaboration would help local patients simplify care coordination, reduce travel time, and focus on treatment and recovery.

New opportunities for innovative treatments

The treatment of cancer is a rapidly evolving field. A collaboration between Stanford and Sutter Health would greatly improve access for East Bay cancer patients to new opportunities for clinical care and clinical research, including an expanded array of clinical trials.

“Working with Sutter Health in the East Bay will broaden opportunities for participation in some of the world’s most innovative cancer treatment trials,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine. “With breakthroughs in the detection, prevention and treatment of cancer and its side effects, Stanford Medicine’s physician-scientists are actively investigating new therapies and working to make sure that they are available to everyone who needs them. This collaboration presents a real opportunity for improvement for patients, and a benefit to the progress of cancer science, as more inclusion enables more discoveries.”

Stanford Health Care and Sutter Health also expect that this opportunity will greatly enhance their shared commitment to health equity by improving access to exceptional care for underrepresented minorities in the community who often lack access to advanced care options and the ability to participate in clinical trials.

Nationally recognized cancer and integrated healthcare

To this collaboration, Stanford Health Care brings its strength as a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and its leadership as one of the founding members of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of 26 of the world’s leading cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer.

Stanford Health Care is consistently recognized as one of the top hospitals in America for cancer care by US News & World Report, recognized for overall quality and safety by Vizient in 2018, and awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

A collaboration with Stanford and Sutter Health would also build on the efficient and high quality of care for which Sutter Health’s integrated network is consistently recognized, and would provide East Bay residents with seamless coordination of cancer care and support services from one caregiver to another.

Four hospitals within Sutter Health, including Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, have been recognized as top hospitals in California by US News & World Report. ABSMC has also received the highest rating (5 stars) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Quality Ratings. Additionally, Sutter Health includes many of California’s top-performing, highest quality physician organizations.