Cancer care pathways company PathForward Oncology has named health insurance executive Brian Litten as the new company’s first CEO.
Bluffton, South Carolina-based PathForward is a new joint venture formed by benefits management company CareCore National and D3 Oncology Solutions, an affiliate of UPMC Cancer Centers in Pittsburgh.
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A cancer care pathway is essentially a guideline for cancer care. The concept uses scientific evidence to develop “pathways” to guide physicians toward the best course of cancer care. The goal is improved care for the patient and reduced costs for payers.
Cancer pathways businesses have developed in recent years. For example, US Oncology in 2008 launched its Innovent Oncology pathways unit. PathForward’s pathways are based on algorithms that standardize chemotherapy cancer care services developed at UPMC.
Litten comes to PathForward with a health insurance background. He was vice president of strategic and external affairs for a for-profit subsidiary of Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia and before that, an executive with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. PathForward said that in his new position, Litten will help build relationships between physicians and insurance companies.
CareCore and D3 Oncology formed PathForward in January. Bluffton-based CareCore has benefit management programs in oncology among other categories. The company contracts with more than 30 health plans covering more than 70 million people. D3 Oncology offers services to medical and radiation oncology centers in the United States and around the world.
