Oncology Care Providers Form Astera Cancer Care

On Feb 1, 2021

A group of 37 medical and radiation oncologists, along with a robust staff of cancer care providers, led by Drs. Bruno S. Fang and Edward J. Licitra, who currently comprise the “Central Jersey Division” of Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA), are forming Astera Cancer Care, an independent and physician-owned multi-specialty community oncology practice serving 12,000 new patients annually in Central New Jersey. The practice will join the OneOncology platform making it the ninth practice to become part of the OneOncology partnership of independent community oncology practices.

Astera will be comprised of 26 medical oncologists, 11 radiation oncologists, two breast surgeons, ten advance practice providers and three PharmDs who collectively have been caring for patients in Central New Jersey since 1981. The physicians have an average of more than 20 years of medical experience.

The practice offers standard and advanced therapeutics including chemotherapy, biologic therapy immunotherapies and radiopharmaceuticals along with a total complement of radiation oncology treatment options, including proton therapy, brachytherapy, and radiosurgery. Astera Cancer Care is one of the few private practice groups on the East Coast to offer its patients a full array of radiation oncology treatments.

Astera Cancer Care will provide coordinated services across the continuum of care from the diagnosis of cancer, through active treatment, cure and survivorship. Its specialists practice at 13 distinct locations in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer and Monmouth counties in New Jersey and Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

The practice also has a robust clinical trial platform for cancer therapy with one of the only community-based clinical trial programs in CAR-T cell therapies in the nation. As part of the OneOncology network, Astera Cancer Care will participate in OneR, OneOncology’s clinical trial network. OneR is an ideal fit to help enhance Astera Cancer Care’s already high-performing clinical trial program.

“Astera Cancer Care offers patients standard and advanced therapeutics as well as cutting-edge clinical trials, close to home,” said Bruno S. Fang, MD, Managing Partner, Astera Cancer Care. Becoming independent while affiliating with OneOncology offers us the best opportunity to chart our own future and offer our patients therapeutic options as cancer care continues to rapidly evolve.”

Astera Cancer Care is also a leader in value-based oncology care and alternative payment model development. The practice has participated in Medicare’s value-based oncology program, the Oncology Care Model. Astera Cancer Care has also developed innovative episode-based payment models with commercial payers for the comprehensive delivery of medical and radiation oncology care for early-stage breast cancer patients. The group has additional programs under development for lung, prostate, rectal and head and neck cancers along with several blood cell cancers. Astera Cancer Care’s expertise in value-based care dovetails with OneOncology’s leadership, which bolsters their partner practices’ capacity for value-based care delivery through alternative payment model design and implementation.

“By joining the OneOncology platform, Astera Cancer Care will have the resources, expertise and technology to expand its services along the entire care continuum in New Jersey,” said Jeff Patton, MD, CEO, OneOncology. “The Astera Cancer Care team has some of the top oncologists in the country, and we look forward to collaborating with them to enhance community oncology locally and nationally.”

Astera Cancer Care plans to expand their cancer care delivery platform over the upcoming years to support a comprehensive cancer care delivery model to serve patients in New Jersey. The practice also plans to expand into other areas of the healthcare continuum to support value-based care initiatives that drive better patient health outcomes at lower costs.

With the addition of Astera Cancer care, the OneOncology platform will now have more than 550 providers caring for 259,000 patients annually at 175 site of care from New York to Los Angeles.

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