A Partnership Built on a Purpose
By Jeanie Edgmon
Mid America Cancer Care and American Oncology Network Unite to Transform & Preserve Community Cancer Care
“We’re not just adding services; we’re ensuring that every patient who walks through our doors has access to the same caliber of care they would receive at the nation’s leading academic centers, but right here in their own backyard.”
– Dr. Singh
In the landscape of modern oncology, where patients often face the impossible choice between world-class care and staying close to home, a powerful alliance is rewriting what’s possible. Mid America Cancer Care’s partnership with American Oncology Network represents more than a business arrangement—it’s a promise that exceptional cancer treatment belongs in every community, not just in distant academic centers.
For Dr. Jaswinder Singh, founder of Mid America Cancer Care, this partnership fulfills a vision that has driven his entire career; ensuring that geography never determines a patient’s chance at survival.
The Genesis of a Mission
Dr. Singh’s journey to this moment began long before Mid America Cancer Care opened its doors in late 2019. Growing up in India, he witnessed firsthand how a single medication transformed his life, turning his debilitating childhood asthma into a manageable condition. That early lesson—that the right treatment, delivered at the right time, can fundamentally alter someone’s trajectory—became the cornerstone of his medical philosophy.
“Oncology was a natural progression for me,” Dr. Singh reflects, “because patients who are diagnosed with cancer are vulnerable and scared. They want compassion and understanding. Those patients become my family and my community. I care about each and every one of them and love the ability to learn their individual stories.”
But caring deeply wasn’t enough. As Dr. Singh built his practice in Kansas City, he confronted a painful reality: countless patients in rural and underserved communities faced impossible barriers to accessing cutting-edge cancer care. Distance, limited resources, and fragmented services forced too many families to choose between comprehensive treatment and staying near their support systems.
When Mid America Cancer Care was founded, it carried a singular, unwavering mission: to bring compassionate, comprehensive cancer care directly to patients in their own communities. The practice grew rapidly to serve 10 convenient locations across the Kansas City metropolitan area and western Missouri, supported by a team of five experienced physicians and sixteen highly skilled nurse practitioners—collectively bringing more than 50 years of expertise to the fight against cancer.
Yet Dr. Singh understood that true transformation required more than commitment—it demanded resources, infrastructure, and the kind of operational excellence that would allow his team to focus on what mattered most: their patients.
A Partnership Aligned in Purpose
Enter American Oncology Network, one of the nation’s fastest-growing community oncology networks and a partner whose values mirror those that have defined Mid America Cancer Care from its inception.
Founded in 2018, AON was built on a revolutionary premise: that community oncology practices shouldn’t have to sacrifice their independence or their patient-centered approach to access the resources necessary for sustainable success. With more than 300 providers across 20 states, AON has proven that physician-led community oncology can thrive in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape.
The partnership, announced in early 2025, represents the convergence of two organizations united by conviction—that exceptional cancer care should be accessible, comprehensive, and delivered with unwavering compassion.
“MACC is known for its exceptional patient-centered, community-based care, and their team’s extensive expertise aligns perfectly with AON’s mission to deliver individualized cancer care tailored to each patient’s unique needs,” said Todd Schonherz, AON’s chief executive officer.
“This partnership not only supports our goal of expanding access to high-quality, patient-first cancer care in local communities nationwide but also demonstrates AON’s ability to collaborate with both physician groups and hospital systems. By working alongside local health systems, we can further enhance community oncology in Kansas City and beyond. We’ve really benefitted from the expertise MACC providers bring to our network.”
Dr. Singh adds, “We’re not just adding services; we’re ensuring that every patient who walks through our doors has access to the same caliber of care they would receive at the nation’s leading academic centers, but right here in their own backyard.”
Convenient, Comprehensive Care: From Vision to Reality
The tangible benefits of this alliance are already transforming patient experiences across Mid America Cancer Care’s network. Through AON’s extensive infrastructure, the practice now offers an array of enhanced services that eliminate the fragmented, exhausting healthcare journeys that cancer patients have historically endured.
The in-house specialty pharmacy, complete with home delivery for oral chemotherapy medications, means patients no longer need to coordinate with multiple pharmacies or worry about delays in receiving critical treatments. For patients already grappling with the physical and emotional toll of cancer, this single change represents profound relief—fewer trips, fewer phone calls, fewer moments of anxiety wondering if their medication will arrive on time.
The centralized laboratory services, now backed by AON’s CAP-accredited central laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida, eliminate the need for patients to travel to multiple locations for routine and specialized testing. Results come faster, communication between providers is seamless, and patients spend less time shuttling between facilities and more time focusing on their recovery.
Perhaps most significantly, the partnership has dramatically expanded access to advanced immunotherapies, including bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) therapies—cutting-edge treatments that were once available only at major academic medical centers. Through AON, more than 40 clinics across the network now offer these revolutionary therapies, bringing precision medicine to community settings where it can reach patients who need it most.
“Too much focus is often placed on patients receiving care at large academic centers where they can receive the ‘ultimate’ care,” Dr. Singh emphasizes. “What is not emphasized enough is that the same exceptional level of care is being offered at community hospitals by physicians like those on our team who see it as a moral imperative to deliver this care to patients who would otherwise be without resources.”
“Every cancer diagnosis is unique,” Dr. Singh emphasizes, “and so we focus on treating the whole patient—not just the disease. This partnership gives us the tools to do exactly that, ensuring that each treatment plan is tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of every individual we serve.”
-Dr Singh
Clinical Excellence Meets Operational Support
Behind these patient-facing improvements lies AON’s comprehensive support infrastructure—the often-invisible framework that enables community oncology practices to excel. Through centralized services encompassing purchasing, revenue cycle management, information technology, human resources, and finance, AON eases the administrative burdens that have historically consumed physicians’ time and diverted attention from patient care.
For Mid America Cancer Care, this operational support translates directly into enhanced clinical capabilities. The practice maintains its autonomy and physician-led governance—AON’s partnership is collaborative, not dictatorial—while gaining access to resources that would be impossible for an independent practice to develop alone.
The partnership has strengthened Mid America Cancer Care’s already-robust clinical trial program, which Dr. Singh has championed as essential to advancing cancer treatment. Through collaboration with AON, the practice has enhanced its operational support, regulatory oversight, and compliance infrastructure, ensuring that patients across the Kansas City region can access innovative, experimental therapies without long-distance travel.
“MidAmerica Cancer Care brings clinical trials to these patients even though it would be much easier to just refer patients to another primary health center,” Dr. Singh notes. “Bringing research to the region is one of my life’s works, and from that purpose and mission I will never waver.”
Real Human Impact
The true measure of this partnership isn’t found in operational metrics or service expansions—it’s written in the lives of patients who can now remain in their communities while receiving world-class care.
Now, the rural patient who previously faced a three-hour drive to access immunotherapy treatments is able to receive the same cutting-edge care just 20 minutes from home. Or a working parent can schedule infusion therapy, laboratory work, and physician consultations at a single location on the same day, rather than coordinating multiple appointments across different facilities and losing critical hours of work and family time.
These scenarios represent the daily reality for hundreds of patients across Mid America Cancer Care’s expanding network. The recent opening of a new medical oncology clinic in Kansas City, Kansas—featuring private exam rooms, an infusion center, in-house laboratory and pathology services, and a specialty pharmacy—exemplifies how this partnership translates vision into tangible access.
“MACC’s dedication to providing quality care in a community setting has made a significant impact in western Missouri,” said Stephen “Fred” Divers, MD, AON’s chief medical officer. “Their expertise and commitment have greatly enhanced the care we provide to patients and strengthened our team across the network.”
A New Standard for Community Oncology
As healthcare continues its inexorable march toward consolidation and corporate medicine, the Mid America Cancer Care and American Oncology Network partnership offers a compelling alternative narrative. It demonstrates that community-based practices can deliver exceptional, comprehensive cancer care while maintaining their independence, their patient-centered approach, and their commitment to the communities they serve.
The partnership challenges the assumption that cutting-edge cancer treatment belongs exclusively in ivory tower institutions. It proves that with the right resources, infrastructure, and collaborative spirit, community oncologists can offer their patients everything—from revolutionary immunotherapies to comprehensive support services—without requiring them to leave behind the comfort, familiarity, and support systems that are so crucial during cancer treatment.
“Every cancer diagnosis is unique,” Dr. Singh emphasizes, “and so we focus on treating the whole patient—not just the disease. This partnership gives us the tools to do exactly that, ensuring that each treatment plan is tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of every individual we serve.”
Looking Forward: The Future of Cancer Care
As Mid America Cancer Care and American Oncology Network continue to deepen their collaboration, the possibilities expand. Future innovations may include enhanced radioligand therapies for metastatic and rare cancers, AI-empowered clinical trial matching to help more patients access experimental treatments, and continued expansion of services to underserved communities throughout the region.
But beyond any specific technology or treatment modality, this partnership represents something more fundamental: a commitment to the principle that where you live should never determine whether you survive.
For Dr. Singh and his team, that principle is both personal and professional. “These patients become my family,” he says. “This draws me in every day—the hunt to deliver patients the best answers and treatments, right here in their own communities where they’re surrounded by the people who love them.”
In a time when healthcare often feels impersonal and transactional, this partnership represents a powerful reminder that medicine, at its best, remains a deeply human endeavor—one built on compassion, commitment, and the unwavering belief that every patient deserves access to hope, healing, and the highest standard of care.
Through their alliance, Mid America Cancer Care and American Oncology Network aren’t just transforming how cancer care is delivered in Kansas City and beyond. They’re redefining what’s possible when clinical excellence meets operational innovation, when local commitment partners with national resources, and when the mission to serve patients guides every decision.
For the communities they serve, this partnership represents more than convenient access to comprehensive cancer care. It represents a promise: that in their most vulnerable moments, they won’t face their battles alone or without the best weapons modern medicine can offer. That promise, delivered daily through compassionate care and unwavering commitment, is perhaps the most powerful medicine of all.
