From Vision to Velocity: Launching Your Value-Based Model with a 90-Day Sprint

You’ve done the hard work: the research is complete, and you’ve secured a powerful Physician Champion to drive adoption. But a great strategy is the starting point and just a document until it’s executed.

The next 90 days are the most critical phase, the implementation sprint that translates vision into measurable patient impact. This period isn’t about perfection; it’s about focused action, rapid iteration, and team accountability.

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Step 1: Define the Strategy. Clarify the “Why”

Before the launch team begins building workflows or hiring staff, the strategy itself must be clear. A value-based care strategy is more than a list of initiatives, it defines the intended goal, the value equation, and the outcomes that will define success.

In oncology, that often means:

• Improving patient outcomes per dollar spent

• Ensuring consistent use of evidence-based treatment pathways

• Reducing avoidable utilization and waste

• Enhancing the patient experience through coordination and communication

  
  

A shared strategy ensures that every role, process, and metric points toward the same goal. It also gives your Physician Champion and Administrative Lead Champion a unified direction, clinical excellence paired with operational precision.

Without a defined strategy, people work hard but not always together. Strategy creates alignment, and alignment accelerates impact.

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Step 2: Build the Foundation (T-30 Days)

The first 30 days are dedicated to assembling the right people, tools, and workflows. Without a solid foundation, even the strongest clinical strategy falters.

Form the Core Team: Begin with the Physician Champion and add the essential operational backbone:

• Administrative Lead Champion – owns the project plan, manages accountability, and bridges clinical and financial workflows.

• RN Care Coordinator and Care Navigator – responsible for daily patient engagement and documentation.

• Data & Technology Liaison – ensures accurate reporting, EHR integration, and performance tracking.

  
  

Establish Systems:

• Implement workflow technology to automate outreach and documentation.

• Set up shared dashboards for real-time metric tracking and performance visibility.

• Finalize patient assessments, checklists, and educational tools for Care Coordination and Palliative/ACP.

  
  

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Data readiness is the first step to value readiness.

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Step 3: Execute the Sprint (Day 1–60)

With people and systems in place, it’s time to act. The focus shifts to driving engagement and compliance across the five core intervention areas of the Oncology Care Connect model: Care Coordination, Palliative/ACP, Evidence-Based Treatment Pathways (ETPs), Triage, and Lab/Imaging Optimization.

During this step, each team member plays a specific role:

• Physician Champion: Drives clinical alignment and visibility of quality metrics.

• Administrative Lead Champion: Maintains daily operations and removes barriers.

• RN Care Coordinator: Leads patient engagement and ensures documentation accuracy.

• Navigator: Conducts proactive outreach and manages tracking workflows.

Together, the physician and administrative champions form the dual engine of transformation - one leading clinical alignment, the other driving operational performance. Strategy fuels both.

Target outcomes for this phase: 70–80% patient engagement and 80%+ protocol compliance across target populations.

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Step 4: Audit, Report, and Scale (Day 60–90)

With the first wave of implementation complete, the focus turns to sustainability and scalability.

• Conduct weekly reviews of triage outcomes, pathway compliance, and patient engagement.

• Hold a Monthly Leadership Meeting led by both the physician and administrative champions to evaluate data and address barriers.

• Begin Phase 2 planning, using initial results to guide further optimization and guideline integration (e.g., NSCLC Value Matrix).

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📊 At a Glance

• Define the Strategy: Clarify the goal—better outcomes per dollar, powered by evidence and coordination.

• Build the Team: Pair a strong Physician Champion with an Administrative Lead Champion to align clinical and operational success.

• Establish the System: Implement workflow technology, reporting, and educational tools within 30 days.

• Execute Rapidly: Launch the five core interventions with a goal of 70% engagement and 80%+ protocol adherence.

• Audit and Scale: Conduct weekly audits and monthly reviews to refine processes and prepare for Phase 2 expansion.

  
  

Next up: The heart of value-based oncology, the nurse-patient coordination team, where strategy meets compassion and data becomes dialogue.