​UPMC to Advise Cancer Treatment Center in Beijing, China

6/27/2018

PITTSBURGH – To meet the growing demand for high-quality cancer care in China, Tahoe Hospital Management Co. Ltd. has reached a five-year agreement with UPMC to assist in the planning and operation of an expanded cancer center within an existing private hospital in Beijing.

From facility planning to clinical protocols, UPMC will advise Tahoe on all aspects of operating an advanced cancer treatment center, which will include medical and surgical oncology, cancer rehabilitation and an oncology clinical research program.

Drawing on decades of expertise at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, one of the largest cancer treatment networks in the U.S., UPMC will collaborate with Tahoe to enhance its existing cancer program inside of the 350-bed Beijing Yuho Rehabilitation Hospital (Yuho), which opened in late 2015.

“This collaboration with UPMC is just the start of what we hope will be a long and fruitful partnership to expand world-class medical care for our patients,” said Chairman Qisen Huang of Tahoe. “Together, UPMC and Tahoe share the same vision of developing a comprehensive cancer network that encompasses all facets of care, including treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship and research, with an international standard of practice.” The expanded center is intended to be the “hub” facility of Tahoe’s future oncology network in Beijing and the surrounding region.

“UPMC is uniquely prepared to partner with Tahoe because of our internationally renowned clinical expertise, teaching capability, research experience, oncology-focused organizational practices and long history of operating advanced cancer care services throughout the world,” noted Chuck Bogosta, president of UPMC International and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in China, with an estimated 4.3 million new cancer cases and more than 2.8 million cancer deaths in the country in 2015. An aging population and lifestyle factors like smoking are major factors in the nation’s rising cancer rates. The five leading causes of cancer death among both men and women in China are cancers of the lung and bronchus, stomach, liver, esophagus and colorectum, which account for about three-quarters of all cancer deaths.

The first phase of the Tahoe project will involve onsite assessment and recommendations by a multi-disciplinary team of UPMC experts, who will advise on facility design and equipment selection, information technology infrastructure and a staffing plan for oncology services, among other activities. Key Yuho clinical staff will receive training in Pittsburgh as the cancer center aims to meet the highest international standards.

After the initial study, UPMC will provide ongoing guidance regarding Yuho’s clinical and quality assurance practices. In the years to come, UPMC expects to help the cancer center with the process of achieving Joint Commission International accreditation.

UPMC announced its first medical services agreement in China in 2011 with the provision of second-opinion pathology consultations to KingMed Diagnostics, the largest independent medical diagnostic laboratory in China. It has subsequently helped to create an international medical center within Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha, one of the most respected hospitals in China, and partnered with the private Macare Women’s Hospital in Quanzhou to raise its standards of care.

In support of Beijing’s current five-year economic plan, including a high-priority goal of achieving a “Healthy China,” Tahoe is moving rapidly into the health care sector and investing in expanding and upgrading hospitals and health centers throughout the country. In 2017, it purchased the U.S.-based Alliance HealthCare Services Inc., a provider of outsourced radiology, oncology and interventional services.