The amount of time physicians spend on administrative tasks continues to grow, reducing doctor–patient face time1 and contributing to overall burnout.2 Just a decade ago, physicians were spending an average of 8.7 hours per week3 on administrative tasks such as maintaining patients’ health records, coordinating referrals, and processing claims. That number has more than tripled today to nearly 28 hours a week in some practices.
This burden is exceedingly high in oncology, which ranks behind only physical medicine and rehabilitation in terms of time spent on administrative tasks.4 Administrative burden increases when practices manage daily work using inefficient, disparate technology point solutions that are not interoperable. This burden will only intensify as more practices look to shift to value-based care, an approach that requires increased documentation of patient outcomes and management of complex payer contracts.
The good news is that these challenges are not new or unique, and taking an incremental approach to implementing new technology can help.
These challenges are perhaps most apparent in community-based oncology practices, a preferred site of care for most Americans. As practices expand, growing pains quickly follow, particularly when it comes to onboarding new technology to manage clinical and practice operations. With these practices using anywhere from 5 to 30 distinct platforms, the result is often a frustrating, fragmented technology stack that ultimately falls short of expectations.
The good news is that these challenges are not new or unique, and taking an incremental approach to implementing new technology can help. Many smaller community practices operate with legacy technology systems that were installed 2 decades ago. While these platforms once served a distinct business purpose, they often grow to be cumbersome and overly complex through a series of reactive updates. Today’s newer systems use technology with interoperable capabilities, scalable data platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI), prioritizing ease of use and ultimately enabling more efficient and effective patient care.
Supporting Value-Based Care Delivery
Technology in community-based oncology practices must be a proactive, strategic lever rather than a passive afterthought. The following examples underscore how technology is a fundamental driver in helping community oncology practices deliver value-based care:
Integrated Data Systems: Technology facilitates the integration of disparate data sources across the healthcare continuum, enabling community oncology practices to have an accurate, real-time view of patient records. Integrated data systems are crucial for tracking patient outcomes, a fundamental requirement in value-based care models such as the Enhancing Oncology Model.
Predictive Analytics and Decision Support: By leveraging advanced analytics, community oncology practices can better predict adverse events and personalize care pathways. Technology also supports clinical decision-making by providing actionable insights that align with the goals of value-based care. This helps optimize treatment efficacy while minimizing unnecessary expenditures.
Patient Engagement Tools: Engaging patients in their own treatment journey is a cornerstone of value-based care. Technology platforms that facilitate patient engagement, such as patient portals and mobile health apps, enable continuous communication between patients and care providers. These tools help keep patients informed and engaged in their treatment plans, which becomes increasingly important in managing comorbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease alongside a cancer diagnosis.
Quality and Cost Monitoring: Technology helps practices monitor and report quality metrics and cost, 2 essential components of value-based care agreements. By using the right technology platform, practices can assess their performance against these metrics, identify areas for improvement, and adjust their care delivery strategies accordingly.
Care Coordination: Effective value-based care requires seamless coordination across the healthcare continuum. Technology enhances care coordination by enabling the sharing of patient information between providers to ensure that care decisions are made with a comprehensive understanding of the patient’s history and current needs.
Administrative Simplification: Administrative tasks such as prior authorization represent an increasing burden for community oncology practices. By automating routine tasks using tools such as AI, technology enables clinicians to dedicate more time to patient care, not paperwork. Technology-enabled simplification of administrative tasks not only improves efficiency but also supports the sustainability of value-based care models.
Getting Started With New Technology Platforms
To effectively balance adopting newer platforms while not overcomplicating their overall technology stack, community oncology practices should follow a strategic approach, by:
- Conducting a comprehensive needs assessment with physicians and office staff, ensuring that new technologies align with specific clinical and operational requirements;
- Implementing pilot programs that allow for technology evaluation on a smaller scale, minimizing disruption and enabling pre-rollout calibration;
- Conducting a cost-benefit analysis to compare implementation expenses with expected improvements in efficiency and patient outcomes;
- Following an incremental implementation that integrates new systems gradually, fostering staff adoption and minimizing disruption;
- Regularly monitoring and evaluating new technology to refine usage and ensure platforms meet desired outcomes; and
- Actively training and engaging staff to ensure robust change management and effective adoption.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was a community oncology practice technology stack. While shifting platforms can be difficult, when done for the right strategic reasons and to advance value-based care, the benefits far outweigh the cost. While evaluating and streamlining technology can seem overwhelming, community oncology practices don’t have to go it alone: By becoming part of an oncology practice alliance that offers scalable, customizable solutions, practices can ensure that their technology can evolve with their needs over time.
By focusing on streamlining and improving technology platforms in community-based oncology practices, we can begin to improve operations, facilitate more time for patient interactions, and ultimately help enable the delivery of value-based, patient-centric care.
San Banerjee is Chief Technology Officer at Navista. Over the past 20 years, San has served in senior technology leadership roles at large consumer health, health system, and payer organizations, including CVS Health, Texas Health Resources, and Humana. In his most recent role as VP, Product and Clinical Technology Solutions at CVS Health, San led clinical technology product development for CVS Health’s health services and pharmacy business, and specialized in chronic therapeutic areas including oncology.
References
- American Medical Association. Study: technological, admin demands cut into face time with patients. September 6, 2016. Accessed January 20, 2025. www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/study-technological-admin-demands-cut-face-time-patients
- American Medical Association. Burnout on the way down, but “pajama time” stands still. August 13, 2024. Accessed January 20, 2025. www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/burnout-way-down-pajama-time-stands-still
- Woolhandler S, Himmelstein DU. Administrative work consumes one-sixth of U.S. physicians’ working hours and lowers their career satisfaction. Int J Health Serv. 2014;44(4):635-642. Accessed October 24, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25626223/#
- Cass A. Becker's Clinical Leadership, citing Medscape's Physican Compensation Report 2023. The hours 23 physician specialties spend on paperwork-administration. April 19, 2023. Accessed June 3, 2025. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/hospital-physician-relationships/the-hours-23-physician-specialties-spend-on-paperwork-administration/
