McKesson's Decade of Data Powers Oncology Value-Based Care

IRVING, TX – January 20, 2026 – For the tenth consecutive year, McKesson has secured a critical designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), solidifying its role as a key partner for community oncology practices navigating the complex world of value-based care. CMS has once again named McKesson’s Practice Insights platform a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for the 2026 performance year, enabling thousands of clinicians to streamline quality reporting and focus more on patient outcomes than on administrative hurdles.

This decade-long approval underscores the stability and effectiveness of McKesson's integrated solution, which allows oncology practices using the IKnowMed® electronic health record (EHR) to report data directly to CMS for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The designation is more than a technical approval; it represents a vital lifeline for community cancer centers striving to meet federal quality mandates while improving patient care.

Navigating the Complexities of Value-Based Care

The shift from fee-for-service to pay-for-value in healthcare, driven largely by programs like MIPS, has placed immense pressure on providers. MIPS requires clinicians to report on multiple performance categories—Quality, Cost, Promoting Interoperability, and Improvement Activities—to determine payment adjustments. For specialists like oncologists, reporting on generic measures can be both burdensome and clinically irrelevant.

This is where the role of a QCDR becomes paramount. A QCDR is a CMS-approved entity that collects clinical data and submits it on behalf of providers. Crucially, a QCDR can develop and report on specialty-specific measures that are far more meaningful to a particular field of medicine. McKesson’s Practice Insights, powered by its real-world data business Ontada®, serves this exact function. By integrating directly with the IKnowMed EHR, it eliminates the need for practices to contract with a separate registry vendor, significantly reducing administrative complexity and cost.

For community oncology practices, which treat over half of all cancer patients in the U.S., this streamlined process is essential for survival and success. The platform provides a single, unified pathway for submitting MIPS data, including measures for the specialized Advancing Cancer Care MIPS Value Pathway (MVP), a focused reporting option designed to be more relevant for oncologists. This integration allows practices to avoid penalties and compete for positive payment adjustments while gaining actionable insights into their performance.

From Compliance to Clinical Impact

While simplifying compliance is a major benefit, the true value of McKesson’s QCDR lies in its ability to drive tangible improvements in patient care. The platform offers nine oncology-specific QCDR measures designed to enhance quality and manage costs, seven of which were developed in collaboration with physicians from The US Oncology Network.

“McKesson is focused on empowering community oncology practices with insights that support patient care,” said Jason Hammonds, president, Oncology & Multispecialty, McKesson. “With a single, integrated pathway for submitting quality measures and action‑oriented analytics, our QCDR helps providers strengthen care delivery, track performance and enhance operations.”

Underscoring the clinical relevance of these measures, CMS has retained two of them for inclusion in the 2026 Advancing Cancer Care MVP. The first, “Mutation Testing for Stage IV Lung Cancer,” promotes precision medicine by ensuring patients receive critical genetic testing before starting targeted therapy. The second, focusing on the “Utilization of Prophylactic GCSF for Cancer Patients Receiving Low-Risk Chemotherapy,” encourages evidence-based, cost-effective supportive care.

Perhaps most significant for 2026 is the introduction of a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure designed to track distress. This measure assesses whether distress screening and subsequent interventions lead to a meaningful improvement or resolution for patients within six months. Distress in cancer care is a broad concept, encompassing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual concerns that profoundly impact a patient's quality of life and ability to adhere to treatment. By tracking the effectiveness of support interventions, this measure pushes practices to focus on holistic, patient-centered care and demonstrates the tangible impact of psychosocial support.

A Strategic Pillar in a Competitive Landscape

McKesson's ten-year streak as an approved QCDR is a cornerstone of its broader strategy to lead the oncology services market. The company has positioned its Oncology & Multispecialty segment as a primary growth engine, building an integrated ecosystem that includes specialty drug distribution, practice management, and the Ontada data and insights business. The Practice Insights QCDR acts as a critical piece of this ecosystem, creating a powerful feedback loop. It enhances the value of the IKnowMed EHR, strengthens relationships with providers in The US Oncology Network, and generates high-quality, real-world data for Ontada.

This consistent designation provides a significant competitive advantage in a market with other strong players, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) QOPI Reporting Registry and OneOncology's Oncology Quality Hub. While competitors also offer robust MIPS reporting solutions, McKesson’s key differentiator remains the deep, seamless integration of its QCDR within its own EHR platform, offering a frictionless experience for a large network of community practices.

This long-term commitment reflects a deep understanding of the challenges facing community oncology. The platform not only eases the reporting burden but also provides the analytical tools and benchmarking data necessary for practices to thrive under value-based payment models.

“This designation reflects our dedication to oncology-focused quality improvement,” explained Erin Crum, senior director, Quality Strategy and Innovation, McKesson and The US Oncology Network. “For 10 consecutive years, we’ve empowered practices with integrated tools to track performance, reduce reporting burdens and align with value-based care programs. Through efforts such as these, we continue to advance patient-centered, outcome-driven care.”

By providing the infrastructure for both regulatory compliance and quality advancement, McKesson helps ensure that community oncology providers can remain focused on their primary mission: delivering life-saving therapies to patients close to home. This integrated approach aims to ensure that as the landscape of healthcare payment and delivery continues to evolve, community oncology remains equipped to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.