Artificial intelligence (AI) will transform community oncology, addressing workforce shortages and reimbursement challenges while enhancing patient care and operational efficiency, discussed speakers at Tennessee Oncology's “Tech Innovations in Community Oncology."
Flatiron Assist. LeanTaas. DeepScribe. Most US oncologists were years into practice when these technology companies took their first steps, starting about 15 years ago—the same year the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was adopted.
This new law offered hope that more patients might gain access to cancer care, and more cancers would be caught early, thanks to a provision that required free screenings. There were other hopeful signs. The year 2010 brought trial results for a new therapy, ipilimumab (Yervoy; Bristol-Myers Squibb), which would launch the immunotherapy revolution.
Finally, the ACA advanced goals of an earlier law, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, that called on practices to adopt electronic health records (EHRs), which would gather data needed for the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care. Yet, the rise of health IT created different challenges, as popular systems did not integrate well with outside technology, and physicians found themselves staring into screens instead of focusing on patients.
Fast forward to 2025, and much of cancer care is transformed. For some patients, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy can knock down cancer in one blow. Navigators help patients manage their treatment journey, and palliative care offers a better quality of life. But other indicators point to a cliff, as independent practices absorb years of reduced Medicare payments, threats from 340B hospitals, and a growing workforce crisis. The median age of US oncologists is 53 years, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) reports 3 in 5 oncologists have symptoms of burnout. ASCO data suggest the country is already short more than 2000 oncologists and hematologists, and estimates of the shortage of oncology nurses run from 200,000 to 450,000.
How can oncology practices respond? How can they adapt to share the gains of the past decade with more patients, with fewer clinicians than they need?
Artificial intelligence (AI) may offer solutions. As seen at this year’s ASCO annual meeting, advances in precision oncology and AI promise to save time and bring consistency from diagnostics to decision-making. Some 16 years after the HITECH Act fueled the boom in data collection—aided by the 21st Century Cures Act in 2015—use of data has matured and is creating a new wave of innovation beyond the walls of academia.
Clinical uses of AI are just the beginning. Platforms that can help community oncologists improve both revenue management and workflows—even writing a medical note—are gaining notice. Tennessee Oncology offered a window into this future on June 19, 2025, with the meeting, “Tech Innovations in Community Oncology.” Cochairs were Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, senior medical director at Thyme Care and medical oncologist at Tennessee Oncology; and Larry Bilbrey, senior director of digital innovation at OneOncology; the event was presented with Don Sharpe of Oncollogee at The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword,” Mullangi said. “It is rapidly becoming a very practical tool in oncology, whether that is early detection and diagnosis or personalized treatment plans and clinical trial matching.
“To date, the conversation around AI and oncology has been limited to academic medical centers,” she continued. “So, we're shifting the spotlight to where the majority of patients with cancer are treated in this country, which is community practices.”