Lessons Learned From the OncoPRO Initiative

At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president of Texas Oncology and president of Community Oncology Alliance,discusses the OncoPRO initiative and how national collaboration is helping oncology practices implement electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) for remote symptom monitoring.

Patt explained that Texas Oncology has been using ePROs in clinical research and routine practice for several years, generating experience that has informed broader implementation efforts. Building on work first presented at ASCO in 2020 and subsequent findings reported in 2023, the practice joined other oncology organizations through the OncoPRO initiative to exchange practical lessons on integrating remote symptom monitoring into clinical workflows.

Rather than focusing solely on clinical outcomes, Patt emphasized that OncoPRO was designed to address the operational realities of implementing digital health technologies. Participating practices meet regularly to share implementation strategies, discuss common challenges, and identify best practices for overcoming barriers to adoption. According to Patt, these collaborative discussions have helped organizations improve patient enrollment, address participation obstacles, and streamline workflows without requiring each practice to independently solve the same implementation challenges.

Patt noted that participation across the initiative has remained consistently high, reflecting the value practices place on peer-to-peer collaboration during digital transformation efforts. She explained that implementing ePRO programs often requires significant operational planning and change management, making opportunities to learn from other organizations particularly valuable for community oncology practices.

REFERENCE

Basch E, Jansen J, Carr PM, et al. National implementation of electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) for remote symptom monitoring in oncology: The OncoPRO initiative. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(16_suppl):1571-1571. doi:10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.1571