Sucharu Prakash, Director of Quality Services at Texas Oncology, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“It Can Be Done! Thank you, The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) for allowing me to share the remarkable success of Texas Oncology precision medicine initiative.
Precision medicine has always promised to transform cancer care, but promise alone is not enough. Execution matters.
A few years ago, as Director of Quality for Texas Oncology, I saw a glaring gap – inconsistent biomarker testing for patients with cancers. Despite clear evidence supporting genomic testing, fewer than half of eligible patients were being tested in 2022. That meant missed opportunities for targeted therapies, clinical trials, and better outcomes.
At Texas Oncology, we decided to change that.
Through the Precision Medicine Quality Initiative (PMQI), our goal was simple but ambitious: every eligible patient with an advanced solid tumor should receive comprehensive biomarker testing. We implemented broad panel DNA/RNA NGS testing, encouraged liquid biopsy when tissue was insufficient, integrated decision-support tools directly into workflows, built centralized precision medicine support, educated physicians, and created accountability systems to close gaps in care.
The results? A 150% increase in testing rates within 12 months, and today we are approaching near-universal biomarker testing across a diverse community oncology network – from large cities to rural communities.
We also worked beyond the clinic. As President of Texas Society of Clinical Oncology (TxSCO), I had the privilege of advocating for the Texas Biomarker Bill (SB989), helping secure insurance coverage for biomarker testing and removing a major barrier to precision care.
This journey reinforced an important lesson: universal biomarker testing is not aspirational – it is achievable. With the right infrastructure, education, policy, and leadership, community oncology can lead in precision medicine, not lag behind.
The next challenge? Sustaining momentum, integrating more advanced diagnostics, expanding access, and ensuring every cancer patient benefits from the full promise of precision oncology.”
Title: Redefining Standard of Care: Texas Oncology’s Model for Universal Biomarker Testing
Author: Sucharu Prakash
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