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Project Accelerate: How SilverSummit Is Saving Lives Through Expedited Breast Cancer Treatment

Date: 03/19/26

Nevada

At SilverSummit Healthplan, our mission to provide compassionate, coordinated care is more than words—it’s action. One powerful example is Project Accelerate, an innovative breast cancer care initiative that is already making a measurable difference for women across Nevada.

Why Project Accelerate Matters

Delays in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can have life‑threatening consequences. Prior to Project Accelerate, women in Nevada could wait up to two months on average to begin treatment after diagnosis. Even today, women across the state, who are not part of the Silver Summit Project Accelerate, experience average delays of approximately 68 days, regardless of insurance type. This delay reduces the chances greatly that the women can be cured.

Project Accelerate was designed to change that reality by removing barriers and accelerating access to care—because timing matters.

“Numerous studies show that a woman’s breast cancer survival rate decreases if she has delays in care,” said Dr. Steven Evans, Chief Medical Officer of SilverSummit Healthplan. “We are honored to be a part of this program, which is essential in helping women get the treatment they need as quickly as possible."

How the Program Works

Project Accelerate streamlines the breast cancer care process by expediting:

  • Diagnostic mammograms or ultrasounds within three days of detection
  • Rapid reporting of imaging and biopsy results
  • Coordinated referrals and timely appointments with surgeons and oncologists—often within days
  • Expedited surgical operating room times and chemotherapy scheduling
  • Additional clinical and Member support from Nurse Practitioners and Cancer Care Navigators. This coordinated approach ensures women move through diagnosis and treatment without unnecessary delays. 

Strong Partnerships: Powering Project Accelerate

A key driver of Project Accelerate’s success is collaboration with trusted, community‑based healthcare partners. In Southern Nevada, the program was developed in partnership with:

  • The Oncology Institute
  • SimonMed Imaging
  • Local Southern Nevada breast surgeons, Dr. Peter Caravella and his team at Las Vegas Surgical Associates
  • Quest Diagnostics
  • XpediteMD, serving as the medical and software platform supporting coordination of care

Together, these partners work alongside SilverSummit to ensure seamless communication, faster scheduling, and a more connected care experience for Members.

The Impact So Far

Since launching, Project Accelerate has delivered significant, life‑changing results:

  • 661 patients served
  • 218 biopsies facilitated
  • 35 patients identified with positive cancer diagnoses through biopsy
  • Complete care coordination from the beginning of the process to the end

The program has also dramatically reduced wait times:

  • Time from positive biopsy to treatment reduced from 66 days to just 17 days
  • Time to biopsy for mammograms judged to be highly suspicious reduced to nine days
  • Time from any abnormal mammogram to biopsy shortened to 12 days, down from more than 100 days previously 

Based on clinical history, SilverSummit estimates that Project Accelerate has already saved multiple lives by significantly reducing delays in diagnosis and treatment.

A Program We Can All Be Proud Of

Project Accelerate reflects SilverSummit’s commitment to high‑quality, affordable coverage and to leveraging local, regional, and community‑based resources to improve outcomes for Nevada residents.

As President and CEO Eric Schmacker has shared, this program demonstrates how collaboration and innovation can directly improve the lives of the communities we serve.

Project Accelerate is more than a program—it’s a reminder that when we act quickly, work together, and put Members first, we save lives.