Sara Karlovitch

The Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute will be welcoming Susmitha Apuri, MD, into&nbsp;its&nbsp;ranks starting July 1, 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Apuri, who is board certified in medical oncology, hematology, and internal medicine will be seeing patients in Inverness, Florida. Her research has been focused on developments in breast, lung, and colon cancers, as well as hematology.

Apuri also avidly participates in clinical trials and served as a principal investigator in melanoma, breast cancer, and peripheral T-cell lymphoma clinical trials. She also served as an assistant professor at Moffit Cancer Center at the University of Florida.

&ldquo;We are pleased to welcome Dr Apuri&nbsp;to Florida Cancer Specialists,&rdquo; Lucio Gordan, MD, president and managing physician of Florida Cancer Specialists, said in a statement. &ldquo;She comes to us with excellent credentials and a demonstrated focus on clinical research, which is critical in providing the best care for our patients.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Apuri has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and has co-authored book chapters. Her work has been presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, the Miami Breast Cancer Conference, the American Society of Hematology conference, and the Society of Hematologic Oncology conference. She is also an active member of the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology and ASCO, as well as several other societies, and is focused especially on patient advocacy.

She completed her medical degree at the NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada, India. Her internship and residency were completed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.&nbsp;Apuri&nbsp;completed her fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of South Florida- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. She has been living in the Tampa Bay area since 2006.&nbsp;She is trilingual, speaking English, Hindi, and&nbsp;Telugu.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;Dr Apuri&nbsp;brings much needed&nbsp;expertise&nbsp;in medical oncology and hematology to the central Florida community of Inverness. We are pleased to have her join the FCS family,&rdquo; Brad Prechtl, MBA, Florida Cancer Specialists&rsquo; CEO, said in a press release.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Founded in 1984, Florida Cancer Specialists in the largest independent community oncology/ hematology practice in the United States. They have over 230 doctors in their network, along with 200 nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants across nearly 100 locations.  In 2017, they founded the American Oncology Network, which works to replicate the success of the Florida Cancer Specialists nationally. Currently, they have practices in Arkansas, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky,&nbsp;Louisiana, and Virginia. Starting in July, they will also have a practice in Nevada.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Florida Cancer Specialists has been awarded a national Clinical Trials Participation award by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. According to their website, over the past four years, the majority of&nbsp;newly developed cancer drugs were approved for use in the United States were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists. In 2016 alone, 84% of new cancer drugs were studied in clinical trials that Florida Cancer Specialists participated in.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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The Florida Cancer Specialists &amp; Research Institute will be welcoming Susmitha&nbsp;Apuri, MD, into&nbsp;its&nbsp;ranks starting July 1, 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
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Susmitha Apuri, MD, Joins Florida Cancer Specialists

Two community oncology and hematology practices will be joining the American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) in June and July. &nbsp;

Cancer & Blood Specialists of Louisville, located in Louisville Kentucky will be joining effective June 1. Hope Cancer Care of Nevada, which has 2 locations, 1 in Las Vegas and another 65 miles west of Las Vegas, will be joining AON as of July 1.&nbsp;Both practices will be able to expand their pharmacy and laboratory services, improve their technology, and enhance their care management and ancillary services.&nbsp;&nbsp;

AON membership also provides access to a broad range of clinical trials that allows doctors to access new drugs prior to FDA approval.

&ldquo;We are very pleased to welcome the physicians and staff of Cancer & Blood Specialists of Louisville,&rdquo; AON CEO Bradley Prechtl, MBA, said in a press release. &ldquo;They physicians and staff have long demonstrated their willingness to serve and support patients in the Louisville area; and they have done so with compassionate, patient-centric care in the community setting.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;Partnering with AON is in the best interest of our patients and the communities we serve. This alliance allows our physicians, clinicians, and staff to continue focusing on treating patients while enhancing the services that we provide,&rdquo; Vijay Raghavan, MD, of Cancer & Blood Specialists of Louisville, said in a press release. &nbsp;

The team behind AON is the same that was responsible for the largest independent medical oncology/hematology practice in the nationFlorida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute.

The Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, which was founded in 1984, has nearly 100 locations around Florida. AON, which was founded in 2017, was created to replicate that success on a national scale.

Research shows that patients with cancer prefer the community-based environment over a hospital environment. Treatment costs are also much lower outside of the hospital. By integrating with practices, AON is able to protect these elements of community practice.

&ldquo;We are in a challenging and constantly changing healthcare environment,&rdquo; Hope Cancer Care of Nevada&rsquo;s Raja Mehdi, MD, said in a press release. &ldquo;Partnering with American Oncology Network will provide several improved services for our patients and the communities we serve, including participation in the AON Care Management program, which focuses on provided high- quality cancer&nbsp;therapy while reducing costs to deliver true value-based care.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;We are excited to welcome Dr Raja Mehdi, Dr Laxim Lyer, and the staff of Hope Cancer Care of Nevada into the American Oncology Network, LLC,&rdquo; Prechtl said. &ldquo;Through alliances such as this, AON can offer a broader range of additional services to affiliated practices that enable community oncologists to provide high quality, value-based cancer care to their patients in a convenient setting, close to where they live.&rdquo;

Two community oncology and hematology practices will be joining the American Oncology Network, LLC in June and July:&nbsp;Cancer &amp; Blood Specialists of Louisville and&nbsp;Hope Cancer Care of Nevada.

Sara Karlovitch | Authors

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Susmitha Apuri, MD, Joins Florida Cancer Specialists

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