Skip to content

Penn State Health and Andrews Patel Hematology/Oncology reach agreement

Penn State Health and Andrews Patel Hematology/Oncology announced today they have reached agreement to join together to provide unmatched, patient-focused oncology and hematology services to central Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. The agreement received Penn State Health Board of Directors approval in early May, and the Andrews Patel Board of Directors approved the agreement terms last week. The provider group is set to join Penn State Health's growing community-based network later this year.

Andrews Patel is the region's premier provider of high-quality, compassionate oncology and hematology services in a community setting. The group operates two outpatient practice sites in Harrisburg and Camp Hill and also currently provides inpatient cancer services at several local hospitals.

“Caring for patients is our mission at Andrews Patel. When faced with any decision, we let the following question guide us: What is best for the patient?” said Dr. Kathryn Peroutka, president, Andrews Patel. “When facing cancer, people want to know they have access to everything they need close to home. We're excited to become part of a local network with Penn State Health because it will offer patients a full spectrum of services, including access to clinical trials, without leaving the region for care.”

Penn State Cancer Institute specialists, based at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, treat every type of cancer and have managed hundreds of clinical trials locally, keeping patients close to home instead of requiring travel to big cities for advanced care options.

Andrews Patel is the only participant in the Capital Region of the Oncology Care Model program through the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. The Oncology Care Model is a national pilot program designed to improve the quality of cancer treatment by reconstructing the process of care delivery and further enhancing patient-physician relationships.

Inclusion of Andrews and Patel into Penn State Health will allow for the building of innovative and exciting new clinical cancer care models to improve outcomes for people with cancer in the greater Harrisburg-Hershey area and beyond. These models will take advantage of the complementary strengths of the Andrews Patel group and Penn State Cancer Institute, with the shared goal of meeting the challenges of cancer care in the 21st century. This includes application of personalized medicine, genomic differences of patients and their cancers and advancements in population health to the convenient, patient-centric delivery of care close to home.

In addition to Penn State Cancer Institute in Hershey, the Penn State Health cancer network now stretches across six counties in the central part of the commonwealth and includes

  • Penn State Health St. Joseph Cancer Center in Berks County
  • Penn State Health Medical Group – Lancaster Hematology Oncology in Lancaster County
  • Andrews Patel Hematology/Oncology in Dauphin and Cumberland counties.

Patients also can receive care at the Cancer Care Partnership, a joint venture between Penn State Cancer Institute and Mount Nittany Medical Center in Centre County.

“Penn State Health and Andrews Patel share a vision for providing the most cutting edge cancer care, from diagnosis, treatment and survivorship to the eventual eradication of this disease through prevention and cure,” said Dr. Craig Hillemeier, dean of Penn State College of Medicine, CEO of Penn State Health, and senior vice president for health affairs at Penn State. “This affiliation advances that vision by pairing the only locally based, research-driven cancer program with the region's leader in community-based cancer practice—delivering the best of both worlds to those we serve.”

The agreement paves the way for Andrews Patel's nearly 90 employees, including 10 physicians, to become Penn State Health employees as soon as September 1.

(EDITORS: Photos of Andrews Patel's two office locations can be found here: East Shore West Shore)

If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email Penn State Health Marketing & Communications.