Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute is pleased to announce that Michael Diaz, MD will assume the role of President & Managing Physician, effective January 1, 2022. He succeeds Lucio Gordan, MD, who has served in that position since 2018. Dr. Gordan will continue to practice as a medical oncologist at the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Gainesville Cancer Center and serve as Chief Medical Officer of Therapeutics and Analytics for the statewide practice.

In announcing the decision of the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Executive Board, Chief Executive Officer Nathan H. Walcker noted that medical oncologist Dr. Michael Diaz considers it “a privilege and an amazing opportunity” to help make the world a better place for cancer patients. “Through his compassionate delivery of cancer care and his involvement in research, advocacy and philanthropic initiatives, he works tirelessly to ensure that cancer patients in the Tampa Bay region and across Florida and the U.S. have ready access to affordable, high quality cancer care in their local communities,” said Walcker. “He is ideally suited to fill this executive leadership role and lead our practice forward.”

He added, “The achievements we have made over the last three years under Dr. Gordan’s leadership have been very substantial, practice-transforming and enhancing. We are stronger than ever in all measurable aspects and we are grateful that Dr. Gordan will continue to contribute to future successes and innovations in this newly-created leadership role.”

Dr. Diaz joined Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute in 2011 and provides care at two Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute office locations in St. Petersburg, Florida. He has served as Assistant Managing Physician for the statewide practice since November of 2018. He currently serves on the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Executive Board and, for the past seven years, as Director of Patient Advocacy. A recognized leader in advocating on behalf of cancer patients, he is a frequent presence in Tallahassee and in Washington, D.C. working to ensure that cancer patients have access to state of the art, affordable cancer care that is close to home.

Dr. Gordan frequently participates in national and international meetings as a speaker and key thought leader. He is a member of the board of directors for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and Florida Association of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO). As a cancer researcher and the recipient of research grants, he remains actively engaged in clinical studies. His work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. He serves in the editorial board of several oncology journals. In 2013, Dr. Gordan was awarded the prestigious FRIST Award from the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in recognition of his service in the Gainesville community and at North Florida Regional Medical Center.

Dr. Gordan said, “I am proud of the many milestones that we have accomplished to position our organization for future success for years to come. Dr. Diaz is an extraordinary individual, physician and experienced leader in community oncology. He is well-respected nationally and we are very fortunate that he has agreed to take my place in this leadership position. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute will be in the most capable hands with him, the Executive Board, other physician leaders, and our executive and senior management.”

About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC: (FLCancer.com)

Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. In the past four years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Trained in prestigious medical schools and research institutes, our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report.

Founded in 1984, Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies and advanced treatments, including targeted therapies, genomic-based treatment, and immunotherapy. Our highest values are embodied by our outstanding team of highly trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians and staff.


Michelle Robey, Vice President of Marketing


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Michael Diaz, MD will assume the role of President & Managing Physician at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Names Michael Diaz, MD as President & Managing Physician

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute

 has been a national leader in the transition of oncology care from a fee-for-service (volume) reimbursement structure to fee-for-value (quality). Value-Based Care (VBC) and similar Alternative Payment Models (APM) have rapidly evolved over the past several years and are a foundational tenant of the Oncology Care Model (OCM), a national innovative payment program launched by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) in July of 2016. VBC relies on shared accountability among providers, optimizing better outcomes for patients and lowering overall healthcare costs for all stakeholders across the value chain.

Since 2016, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has an established and consistent history of providing leading-edge, exceptional value-based care across the continuum of care, often outpacing industry benchmarks and targets published by CMMI. “We consistently demonstrate VBC performance success and positive outcomes with Medicare and many commercial and Medicare Advantage payers. These relationships have yielded not only improved patient satisfaction, but significant shared savings and cost effectiveness, improved quality measures and patient outcomes, which is our ultimate goal as a leading provider of oncology care,” stated Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Chief Executive Officer 

In a recent evaluation, empirical data indicates Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute decreased emergency room visits not resulting in an admission or observation stay by 18% and decreased inpatient hospital admissions by 15% from 2017 – 2020. FCS has outperformed many other practices participating in OCM in the same patient risk quartile for both emergency room visits not resulting in an admission or observation stay and inpatient admissions by -19.6% and -5.1% respectively. The practice has also outperformed CMS’ expected cost benchmarks for multiple consecutive performance periods, underscoring the scalability and efficiency of FCS’ model. FCS has concurrently demonstrated value-based outcomes partnering with commercial payers throughout the state of Florida. The practice similarly reduced ED utilization by 14.9% with a consistent year over year decrease between 2016-2020.

“Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has the singular goal of providing the best patient-centric care possible,” added Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute President and Managing Physician 

. “Our VBC program incorporates real-time patient data, so that communication and care transitions are optimized for better outcomes and improved patient experience.”

As the healthcare industry continues to grapple with rising costs and a multitude of other challenges, the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Value-Based Care Program is keenly focused on a four-pronged approach that aims for:

As these four metrics are realized, the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Value-Based Care Program will develop and utilize new strategies and technologies that are essential for clinical and financial success and that advance value-based care solutions to support quality care objectives.

About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute

(ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. Over the past 5 years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Trained in such prestigious medical schools and research institutes as Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Emory, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report.

Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced treatments, including targeted therapies, genomic-based treatment, and immunotherapy. Our values are embodied by our outstanding team of highly trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians, and staff.

Since 2016, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has been a national leader in the transition of oncology care from a fee-for-service reimbursement structure to fee-for-value. 


Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute’s Integrated Value-Based Care Model Improves Quality & Patient Outcomes While Reducing Total Cost of Oncology Care

A survey of more than 6,800 cancer patients conducted this month by Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute found that patients overwhelmingly prefer that the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute physicians, nurses and staff members who provide their care are vaccinated and wear masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and provide a safe environment within clinics. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute fielded the online survey to assess patient reaction to its recent mandate for physicians and employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by October 1, 2021, with the first dose being administered no later than August 31, 2021.

The overwhelming majority (88%) of patients said it is important for Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute physicians, nurses and staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with 67% saying it was ‘extremely important.’

This same percentage (88%) of patients said it is important for their Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute providers to wear a mask, whether or not they are vaccinated. 50% said it was ‘extremely important;’ 12% said it was ‘not at all important.’

Over half of patients surveyed (56%) said they would consider changing to another cancer care provider if Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute clinicians and staff were not vaccinated and did not wear masks.

Patients were less likely (26%) to consider changing providers if their Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute providers wore masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute President & Managing Physician Lucio Gordan, MD said, “At Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, we base all of our decisions on what is best for the health and safety of our specialized patient population and team members. The data and the science continue to show that the vaccine is our very best defense to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

“Our patients have strongly affirmed that our decision to mandate vaccines and masks for our workforce is of critical importance,” said Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Chief Executive Officer Nathan H. Walcker. “We remain committed to doing everything possible to keep our patients, team members and their families and our communities safe and protected.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute will require all 250 physicians and nearly 4,400 team members to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by October 1, 2021. Those who are exempt due to documented medical or religious reasons will undergo weekly COVID-19 testing (and be required to adhere to mask policy). Additionally, FCS is continuing rigorous protocols within its nearly 100 clinic and corporate locations that include screening, mask wearing and social distancing. Visitor restrictions remain in effect to further contain the risk of COVID-19 spread and outbreak.

About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute: (FLCancer.com)

A survey of more than 6,800 cancer patients conducted this month by Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute found that patients overwhelmingly prefer that the FCS physicians, nurses and staff members who provide their care are vaccinated and wear masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and provide a safe environment within clinics.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute

Articles

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Names Michael Diaz, MD as President & Managing Physician

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute’s Integrated Value-Based Care Model Improves Quality & Patient Outcomes While Reducing Total Cost of Oncology Care

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute Survey Finds Cancer Patients Support COVID-19 Vaccine & Mask Mandate