UC San Diego Health and Vantage Oncology announce cancer care collaboration

UC San Diego Health and Vantage Oncology are collaborating to provide comprehensive cancer care services to patients in Imperial Valley. Through a joint venture, UC San Diego Health and Vantage will operate Imperial Valley Radiation Oncology. Patients will have access to advanced radiation technologies as well as clinical trial interventions and specialty care consultations with UC San Diego Health and Moores Cancer Center.

“UC San Diego Health is committed to serving the needs of El Centro and the Imperial Valley,” said Patty Maysent, CEO, UC San Diego Health. “Geography should not be a barrier to accessing the health expertise and resources of the university. We will make every effort for patients in Imperial Valley to get world-class academic medical care, close to home.”

“Vantage Oncology has always been committed to providing the highest quality cancer care conveniently in the communities where our patients live. We take great pride in our long-standing presence in the Imperial Valley. Our new joint venture with UC San Diego Health will allow us to leverage the unique capabilities and resources of the university to enhance the services we are providing to our patients in El Centro and the surrounding communities,” said Michael T. Fiore, CEO of Vantage Oncology.

UC San Diego Health and Vantage share the same goals of delivering high quality, personalized cancer care. Vantage Oncology develops and operates radiation oncology centers of excellence throughout the United States with the mission of providing exceptional care in a community setting.

Zoe Woel, MD, medical director, and Siavosh Vakilian, MD, of the Vantage facility will collaborate with the UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, and Arno J. Mundt, MD, professor and department chair, to further develop its radiation oncology services.

“Our mission is to deliver individualized care to each and every patient,” said Leslie Botnick, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Vantage Oncology. “With our state-of-the-art facility and relationship with UC San Diego Health, I am confident our radiation center will provide the most comprehensive and compassionate care in the Imperial Valley.”

Vantage Oncology currently operates more than 50 treatment facilities in 13 states. The company is dedicated to addressing the growing need of patients with cancer, hospitals and physicians for easily accessible, advanced radiation treatment therapies. It offers highly precise and accurate treatments in a patient-centered environment.

Through the UC San Diego Health Care and Physician Networks, and select collaborative affiliations, UC San Diego Health is improving the delivery of care for patients in Southern California by aligning its resources and expertise with community hospitals, outpatient treatment centers, medical groups, doctors and insurers.

In December 2015, UC San Diego Health entered into an agreement to provide El Centro Regional Medical Center with select management and consulting services. The hospitals are currently co-developing infrastructure, care pathways and quality initiatives to provide high-value health care to benefit patients. An earlier affiliation with Imperial Valley Family Care Medical Group is enhancing the depth and quality of multi-specialty health care services and clinical trials available to local patients.

Maysent added that UC San Diego Health continues to broaden its circle of affiliated providers to expand health care options in El Centro.

UC San Diego Health, the region's only academic health system, has been ranked #1 in San Diego for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. Leapfrog Group has repeatedly named UC San Diego Health to its annual list of Top Hospitals, a distinction given to select hospitals nationwide for demonstrating excellence in hospital safety and quality.

UC San Diego Health is comprised of UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and Thornton Hospital, Moores Cancer Center (one of only 44 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country, and the first and only San Diego-based National Comprehensive Cancer Network® Member Institution), Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and Jacobs Medical Center (opening 2016) in La Jolla, as well as other primary and specialty practices located throughout Southern California.