Many community-based oncologists are supportive of pay-for-performance (P4P) initiatives, according to a new national survey commissioned by OTN, a physician practice services company. Key to the implementation of P4P is the adoption of IT that can collect data and help improve outcomes. The survey showed that

• Sixty-six percent of participants believe P4P initiatives will be useful in the practice of oncology, and 94 percent believe it will improve outcomes;
• Ninety-seven percent believe that the adoption and use of health-IT will be increasingly important in the management of their practices. Specifically, 94 percent believe an electronic medical record (EMR) will be required; 78 percent said they would use claims scrubbing technology; 48 percent report they currently use an EMR in their practice; and 46 percent have plans to integrate an EMR into their practice within a year.