Humana & Evolent Expand Partnership to Improve Oncology Care

The new collaboration will include radiation and surgical oncology services, aiming to improve patient access to care and expedite approval requests for critical treatments.

Humana and Evolent Health have expanded their existing partnership to enhance oncology care by modernizing and streamlining the prior authorization processes. 

The new collaboration will include radiation and surgical oncology services, aiming to improve patient access to care and expedite approval requests for critical treatments.

The updated partnership seeks to address one of the most complex aspects of oncology care—prior authorization. 

By connecting all primary approaches to cancer treatment, the collaboration aims to facilitate quicker approval times for patients seeking radiation and surgical oncology services. 

This initiative is designed to remove administrative bottlenecks that can delay patient access to essential treatments.

Paul Davis, Vice President of National Provider Network Management at Humana, expressed the importance of this initiative for members needing radiation and oncology care. He stated, “This partnership underscores our commitment to delivering a better healthcare experience and, most importantly, better health outcomes for our members. Our members who need radiation and oncology care deserve access to high-quality, timely care, and this collaboration will help give them the support and care they need.”

The partnership aims to make the process more efficient by using Evolent's advanced technology platform. The platform allows providers to quickly access the most current and clinically appropriate therapy options for specific cancer care scenarios. The platform enables prior authorization requests to be submitted within minutes, with approvals often received in seconds. This streamlined process is expected to reduce administrative burdens on both providers and patients.

Evolent’s Role in Streamlining Cancer Care

Evolent Health, which has been working with Humana in medical oncology, will now take on a larger role. 

As part of the expanded partnership, Evolent will serve as Humana’s designated utilization management and pathway vendor for radiation and surgical oncology services. 

Dan McCarthy, President at Evolent Health, spoke on the significance of the expanded partnership, saying, “Building upon our longstanding work with Humana in medical oncology, this national expansion into radiation therapies and surgical procedures will help enable a more coordinated, high-quality, and efficient experience for both members and providers throughout the cancer journey.”

By leveraging technology to streamline prior authorization processes, Humana and Evolent aim to reduce administrative hurdles, ensure better access to services, and improve health outcomes for patients navigating the cancer treatment journey.

The companies have emphasized that this initiative is focused on improving access to radiation and surgical oncology services and aiming to create a more coordinated care experience for patients.