Oncology Care Index 2026

In community practices, that’s where cancer meets care—and where most people with cancer receive treatment today.

Building on the insights of the inaugural 2025 Oncology Care Index, the 2026 J&J Oncology Care Index surveyed 200+ community oncologists (N=109 [oncologists, n=99; hematologists, n=10]) and practice administrators (N=100 [oncology, n=92; hematology, n=8]). Healthcare professionals and physicians who qualified for and successfully completed the survey were compensated for their participation. The findings reveal the most pressing challenges they face, the innovations gaining traction, and the biggest opportunities to bring better care to more patients, regardless of zip code.

The results are encouraging: of the 109 surveyed community oncologists, 92% agreed that they typically incorporate new cutting-edge treatments before they are added to guidelines, and 78% agreed that community oncology sites are uniquely positioned to accelerate patient access to deliver them faster than in years past.¹But the pace of innovation continues to outstrip real-world implementation, and that gap has only grown since last year. Turning understanding into action, especially with artificial intelligence (AI), still lags behind what’s possible.

The 2026 Index pinpoints three opportunities where action can close this gap, bringing innovation to patients sooner and closer to home.

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2026 Oncology Care Index findings

The survey identified three critical opportunity areas where real progress is not only possible, but already underway. Download the infographic here.

Getting clinical trial access closer to home

Cancer clinical research has a participation problem. Community oncology may hold the answer.²

A cancer patient sitting in a hospital bed with his wife's hand on his shoulder.

What the data show

More than half of community oncologists (53%) and 77% of practice administrators surveyed agreed that patients’ ability to access clinical trials has increased compared to two years ago, a meaningful sign of progress.¹ And 93% of community oncologists surveyed agreed that trials conducted in community settings with relaxed eligibility criteria would increase the percentage of patients who could participate in clinical research.¹

53%

of community oncologists and 77% of practice administrators surveyed agreed that patients’ ability to access clinical trials has increased compared to two years ago

93%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that trials in community settings with relaxed eligibility criteria would increase patient participation

What’s limiting progress

Six in 10 community oncologists and half of practice administrators surveyed agreed that their practice offers some clinical trial enrollment options, but a limited amount or variety.¹ The biggest barriers are lack of infrastructure (68% of community oncologists and 70% of practice administrators surveyed agreed that this is a key need), administrative burden (56% and 66%), limited funding (53% and 60%), and patient-facing challenges like limited awareness of available trials (51% and 81%) and transportation barriers (50% and 71%).¹

6 in 10

surveyed community oncologists and half of surveyed practice administrators agreed that their practice offers some clinical trial enrollment options, but a limited amount or variety

68%

of community oncologists surveyed agreed that lack of infrastructure is a top barrier

70%

of practice administrators surveyed agreed that lack of infrastructure is a top barrier

The opportunity

Reimagining trials around real-world community care can help make research easier to offer and join where patients are treated.

From AI promise to practice

Community oncology’s AI boom faces a practical test: turning early use into everyday impact.

A group of healthcare professionals looking at a tablet in a hospital

What the data show

Reports of AI adoption within oncology practices appear to be increasing. As of 2026, nearly half of surveyed oncologists (49%) in the community setting alone were currently using AI tools¹, compared to 19% of surveyed healthcare providers in all practice settings (N=381) the prior year.³Confidence is high: 79% of surveyed community oncologists were confident in their ability to use AI to make treatment decisions¹, and 87% were familiar with AI-powered predictive models.¹ And 83% agreed that AI can help democratize care, making it more accessible for patients to receive.¹

49%

of surveyed community oncologists were currently using AI tools, an increase from the rate of surveyed healthcare providers in all practice settings in 2025 (19%)

79%

of surveyed community oncologists were confident in their ability to use AI to support treatment decisions

87%

of surveyed community oncologists were familiar with AI-powered predictive models

83%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that AI can help democratize the care patients receive

The implementation gap

Despite 79% of surveyed community oncologists being confident in their ability to use AI to make treatment decisions, only 19% of community oncologists surveyed currently used AI-powered predictive models, and more than 2 in 5 (45%) agreed that AI could cause more problems than solutions. The top concerns to implementation of AI-powered tools are lack of reimbursement (44%), lack of training on how to use/incorporate these tools (43%), and lack of funding/financial resources (41%). The gap isn’t in awareness. It’s in practical, supported implementation.¹

19%

of surveyed community oncologists used AI-powered predictive models

45%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that AI could create more problems than it solves

Top concerns to AI implementation

The gap isn’t in awareness. It’s in practical, supported implementation.

44%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that lack of reimbursement is a top concern

43%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that insufficient training is a top concern

41%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that limited funding is a top concern

The opportunity

With high awareness but limited use of AI-powered predictive models, community practices need training, reimbursement, funding and practical support to turn AI’s promise into long-term impact.

Advanced care delivered locally

Emerging immunotherapies are moving into community cancer care, but confidence gaps remain.

A nurse fixing an IV bag in a hospital room

What the data show

More than 9 in 10 surveyed community oncologists agreed that their practice is very or somewhat comfortable managing (92%) and very or somewhat equipped to offer (94%) new and emerging immunotherapies.¹ Nearly half (49%) agreed that they expected their practice would expand in-practice treatment of new and emerging immunotherapies in the next year.¹

92%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that their practice is comfortable managing new and emerging immunotherapies

49%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that they expected their practice to expand the use of new and emerging immunotherapies over the next year

What’s holding it back

But confidence hasn’t fully caught up with readiness. Only 43% of community oncologists surveyed agreed that their practice is very comfortable managing these therapies¹, and just 35% agreed that their practice is very equipped to offer them.¹ The top barrier? Lack of staff training and expertise, as well as financial challenges, agreed upon by 38% of community oncologists.¹

Surveyed community oncologists who currently used AI were more likely to agree that they anticipated expanding immunotherapy treatment than those who didn’t (60% vs 38%), underscoring that technology and treatment delivery are deeply connected.¹

43%

of surveyed community oncologists were very comfortable managing these therapies

35%

of surveyed community oncologists were very equipped to offer these therapies

38%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed upon a lack of staff training and expertise, as well as financial challenges, as top barriers

The opportunity

Help community practices move from readiness to deeper confidence and capacity. With targeted support around staff training, infrastructure, workflow, and technology, community practices can be better equipped to deliver advanced therapies safely and sustainably in the settings where many patients already receive care.

What the data are revealing

Community oncologists want to expand access to advanced care. The barriers are about implementation. Here is what progress looks like from the clinicians on the front lines.

A group of 4 healthcare professionals discussing something in a hospital setting

49%

of surveyed community oncologists were currently using AI tools, an increase from the rate of surveyed healthcare providers in all practice settings in 2025 (19%)

92%

of surveyed community oncologists agreed that they would incorporate new or cutting-edge treatments into their practice before it is added to guidelines

“We [community oncologists] have the moral responsibility and obligation, in my opinion, to be part of the solution. To fulfill what we all think – that’s the moral responsibility and obligation we have to take better care of our patients, our nation, our families. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the Oncology Care Index, sharing experiences, learning from others.”

Dr. Lucio N. Gordan
Medical Oncologist & Hematologist
Florida Cancer Specialists & Resource Institute

“I think, you know, it’s a strategic imperative for all of oncology to embrace these innovations and figure out how we’re going to implement them in the clinic so patients have access to it. I think we have to really continue to work on operationalizing these innovations to close that gap between developments on the life science side and actual [receipt] by the patient.”

Dr. Fred Divers
Medical Oncologist
American Oncology Network

“But the amount of information, the volume of information that we receive in oncology today, it’s not humanly possible to keep in my head for every disease that I see. Using an AI tool to capture that information in a very succinct manner, in a timely manner, in a just-in time manner can be very useful in terms of reminding me of maybe something that I may have forgotten or even something that may have been published in in the literature, that just was not in my immediate purview.”

Dr. Ruemu Birhiray
Medical Oncologist & Hematologist
Hematology Oncology of Indiana

“Any treatment is only as good as its access. If a patient cannot access a treatment which is very effective, it means nothing for that patient. It’s a very good thing that we have these immunotherapies which are now available and which are getting out in the community. Once physicians are more comfortable using them and have well-defined workflows as well as all the support that is needed for it, patients will truly have access to these very effective treatments in the community.”

Dr. Prerna Mewawalla
Medical Oncologist & Hematologist
Allegheny Health Network

J&J commitment, turning insight into action

J&J Programs and Initiatives

J&J is committed to supporting care teams to help close the gap between innovation and implementation by helping to remove real-world barriers that slow adoption of new tools and treatments, with the goal of ensuring all patients have advanced care sooner and closer to home.

J&J is issuing a request for proposal designed to support not-for-profit organizations working in cancer care to implement solutions that address the key barriers identified in the 2026 Oncology Care Index. Learn more here.

Aiming to make clinical trials easier to offer and more accessible through initiatives that support community practices

Through clinical trials that use pragmatic design features, patient navigation, prescreening services, and community site participation to reduce burden and bring research closer to where patients receive care.

Helping community oncologists get more access and training to AI tools to accelerate innovation and efficiencies

The J&J Foundation, in partnership with Google.org, has committed a combined $10 million to support the use of AI tools among health workers in rural communities, helping reduce burden, strengthen care delivery and help close gaps in access.⁴

J&J is building multiple myeloma clinical decision support tools that organize complex evidence and real-world data into practical shared decision-making support, designed to fit within existing clinical touch points like tumor boards and clinic visits rather than adding another standalone solution to an already burdened system.

Supporting scalable pathways for delivering advanced immunotherapies close to home

We invest in efforts to help prepare community care teams, strengthen operations readiness and expand access through community hospital and broader partnerships.

Collaboration with NCODA (Network for Collaborative Oncology Development and Advancement) through Project Community to identify and overcome key care gaps to raise quality and access to innovation.

Investing in medical education and grant funding

J&J offers Medical Affairs Implementation Science grant funding to support community-based research and education.⁵

About the Oncology Care Index

The Oncology Care Index is a research initiative examining the state of cancer care delivery in the United States, launched by Johnson & Johnson to identify real-world barriers to innovation adoption and uncover opportunities to advance equitable, patient-centered care, and closer to home.

The inaugural 2025 Index surveyed 500 oncology professionals nationwide, including hematologists/oncologists, urologists, and advanced practice providers to understand broad challenges across the field, from AI-powered tools to the pace of the new treatment developments. Building on those insights, the 2026 Index narrowed its focus specifically to community oncology, surveying 109 community oncologists (oncologists, n=99; hematologists, n=10) and 100 practice administrators (oncology, n=92; hematology, n=8) to go deeper on two urgent priorities identified in 2025: how AI can strengthen community cancer care, and how innovation can reach more patients, more consistently, across practices.

Harris Survey Methodology

The 2026 Oncology Care Index was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Johnson & Johnson. The survey was fielded online in the U.S. among 109 community oncologists (N=109 [oncologists, n=99; hematologists, n=10]) age 18+ who are duly licensed whose primary medical specialty was in hematology/oncology, and have treated patients with solid tumor and hematologic cancer in a community setting, and 100 practice managers or administrators (N=100 [oncology, n=92; hematology, n=8]) age 18+ employed in healthcare at a practice specializing in hematology/oncology, treating both hematologic and solid tumor cancers in community settings across the U.S. Healthcare professionals and physicians who qualified for and successfully completed the survey were compensated for their participation.

Survey fielded: May 21-July 6, 2026.

Raw data are not weighted and are therefore only representative of the individuals who completed the survey. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys.

The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data are accurate to within ± 9.6 percentage (for practice admins and managers) and within ± 9.3 percentage (for community oncologists) points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

¹Johnson & Johnson Oncology & The Harris Poll. About the Survey: This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Oncology, from May 21-July 6, 2026 among 109 community oncologists and 100 practice managers or administrators whose practices specialize in hematology/oncology, treating both hematologic and solid tumor cancers in community settings across the U.S.
²Villacampa G, Dennett S, Mello E, Holton J, Lai X, Kilburn L, Bliss J, Rekowski J, Yap C. Accrual and statistical power failure in published adjuvant phase III oncology trials: a comprehensive analysis from 2013 to 2023. ESMO Open. 2024;9(7):103603. doi:10.1016/j.esmoop.2024.103603.
³Johnson & Johnson Oncology & The Harris Poll. About the Survey: This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Oncology, from November 21-December 13, 2024 among 500 adults age 18+ who are duly licensed and either hematologists/oncologists, urologists, APPs in hematology/oncology, or APPs in urology (MDs in Oncology [n=221], MDs in Urology [n=160], Advanced Practice Providers [APPs] in Oncology [n=102], and APPs in Urology [n=17]). Oncologists and APP oncologists treat at least 1 patient with blood and 1 patient with solid-state tumor cancer, while urologists and APP urologists treat at least 1 patient with solid-state tumor cancer.
⁴Johnson & Johnson. (n.d.). Bringing AI tools within reach: J&J Foundation commits $5M to support the U.S. rural health workforce. https://www.jnj.com/j-j-care-community/bringing-ai-tools-within-reach-j-j-foundation-commits-5m-to-support-the-u-s-rural-health-workforce
⁵Johnson & Johnson. (n.d.). Educational grants and giving. https://www.jnj.com/innovativemedicine/us/grants-and-giving/educational

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