UCSF Health and John Muir Health to Expand Cancer Care Collaboration

UCSF Health and John Muir Health are augmenting their growing collaboration through a plan to expand world-class, compassionate cancer care.

The enhanced relationship will leverage the strengths of UCSF Health, Northern California’s leading academic medical center (ranked 7th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report) with John Muir Health’s leading community hospitals (ranked among the top four hospitals in the San Francisco-Oakland area and among the top 15 statewide by U.S. News & World Report) to provide a superior patient experience and quality oncology care closer to patients’ homes.

The collaboration will enable UCSF and John Muir Health (JMH) multi-disciplinary cancer care physicians to work together to diagnose and determine the best course of therapy for patients with complex cases, while enabling patients to remain in their East Bay communities. JMH cancer patients also will have access to UCSF’s clinical trials, augmenting the already strong trials program at JMH and giving them access to the very latest advances and breakthroughs in cancer treatment. 

“John Muir Health and UCSF are like-minded organizations, committed to delivering cancer care in our communities through high-quality, efficient, value-based care,” said Mike Thomas, president and chief administrative officer of John Muir Medical Center, Concord (Calif.). “Our collaboration will leverage one another’s strengths to enhance the lives of our patients and allow them to remain in their own communities, where the support of friends and family can assist in the healing process.”

The expansion will build upon an affiliation established between UCSF and John Muir Health in 2015, which includes a commitment to provide premier care across a number of medical specialities, including organ transplant. The affiliation also includes the opening in 2018 of a new outpatient center in Berkeley through the two organizations’ joint venture known as BayHealth, and the establishment of Canopy Health – a growing Accountable Care Network that will provide participants with in-network health coverage through more than 4,000 physicians and 12 hospitals throughout the Bay Area.

“We are very pleased to be expanding our collaboration with John Muir Health in the effort to provide patients with precise diagnoses and the highest quality care in the most comforting, convenient environment possible,” said Mark Laret, chief executive officer and president of UCSF Health. “This collaboration will combine UCSF’s cancer program, which is at the forefront in scientific research, with the broad network of quality community oncologists, so we can build upon an already strong cancer program to meet the needs of the communities we serve.”

The collaboration reflects a growing demand for cancer care and long-term surveillance that stems from an aging population, rising incidence of cancer and significant increase in the number of cancer survivors. It aims to establish a highly coordinated cancer network in which the two institutions will be more able to refer and transfer patients. Ultimately, a network-wide electronic medical record will offer patients and providers full access to their records and ensure a seamless transition in care.

“This collaboration brings together two exceptional organizations for the benefit of San Francisco Bay Area cancer patients,” said George Counelis, MD, FAANS, medical director of Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology for John Muir Health. “Patients will have access to not only the latest cancer treatments and research, but also the combined expertise of multidisciplinary teams of physicians, researchers, nurse navigators and staff, all dedicated to their physical and mental health, well-being and outcome.”

Patients will benefit from the two institutions’ combined strengths, expertise and resources to access to the latest clinical trials and treatment advances based on cutting-edge research, as well as support through nurse navigator and survivorship programs. The collaboration also will help build a base for further affiliations and integration with East Bay community oncology groups.

“Together, we can offer patients care across a continuum of services and help them navigate their individual medical needs,” said Alan Ashworth, PhD, president of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. “They will have access to specialists in both health systems, an extensive support network, and the most precise and personal cancer services that John Muir Health and UCSF have to offer.”

About UCSF Health: As the cornerstone of UCSF Health, UCSF Medical Center is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 10 hospitals and cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report. Recognized for innovative treatments, advanced technology, collaboration among health care professionals and scientists, and a highly compassionate patient care team, UCSF Medical Center serves as the academic medical center of UC San Francisco, the nation’s leading university exclusively focused on health. UCSF’s nationally preeminent programs include children's health, the brain and nervous system, organ transplantation, women's health, cancer and behavioral health. The medical center operates as a self-supporting enterprise within UCSF and generates its own revenues to cover the operating costs of providing patient care. UCSF Health currently encompasses UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals (San Francisco and Oakland), the UCSF faculty practice group, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, Benioff Children’s Physicians foundation and affiliations including Marin General Hospital, Hospice by the Bay, Washington Hospital and Santa Rosa Memorial Medical Center. Visit www.ucsfhealth.org.

About John Muir Health: John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians, more than 6,000 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with UCSF Health, Tenet Healthcare/San Ramon Regional Medical Center and Stanford Children's Health. The health system offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, gynecologic surgery, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care.