Central Maine Healthcare (CMH) and New England Cancer Specialists (NECS) recently marked the one-year anniversary of their agreement to enhance medical oncology and infusion services in the central Maine region.
The agreement was signed last year at CMH’s state-of-the-art Cancer Care Center, and according to John Hamilton, senior vice president, Service Line Operations, the relationship between the two is exceeding the already lofty expectations that existed going into the agreement.
“The total visit volume for all three CMH hospital’s cancer care services greatly exceeded projections,” Hamilton said. “This unexpected influx of new patients was driven, in part, by CMMC being the only provider of cancer care in the region, but also speaks to the growing need for cancer care in the communities CMH serves.”
Central Maine Healthcare and NECS are currently recruiting additional providers to prepare for future growth.
Under the co-management agreement, NECS oversees operations and development of the cancer care program’s hematology and oncology practice and oncology infusion centers at CMMC, as well as CMH’s two critical access hospitals, Bridgton Hospital and Rumford Hospital.
Maine is among the U.S. states with the highest cancer mortality rates. Androscoggin County, where CMMC is located, has an elevated incidence of cancer, particularly lung cancer.
“Having this partnership and the support of NECS has empowered us to deliver exceptional cancer care to patients across central and western Maine,” said Nicholette Erickson, MD, oncologist at New England Cancer Specialists. “We are extremely proud of this collaboration and the life-changing impact we’ve been able to achieve together so quickly in these communities.”
“Our patients are benefiting greatly from this arrangement,” said Tim Counihan, MD, chief of surgery and the Oncology Institute at Central Maine Healthcare. “They are able to get the important care they need close to home, and at the same time have access to the resources of some of the best cancer specialists in the country.”
Central Maine Healthcare has achieved full accreditation from the Commission on Cancer which is awarded only to those institutions that provide patients with comprehensive, state-of-the-art services from a multi-specialty team coordinating all aspects of cancer care.
Pictured: physicians and leaders from New England Cancer Specialists and Central Maine Healthcare at the Dec. 2023 signing event