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When it comes to virtual cancer care, some vendors, such as Thyme Care and OncoHealth, partner with health systems to connect cancer patients with company-employed remote clinical teams. Others, like Memora Health, focus on remotely monitoring oncology patients using text messages and sorting through patient health data.
The telemedicine platform Outcomes4Me provides patients with broader education on how to live with cancer, offering information on nutrition, the latest news in oncology and how to connect with a network of others undergoing oncology treatment.
“The biggest benefit is convenience,” OncoHealth CEO Rick Dean said. “Meeting the patient where they are allows that patient to talk to an oncologist or a nurse anytime, or have their family member talk to a nurse about what’s going on, and do it in their home.”
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But is it effective?
Although more research on the effectiveness of telehealth in oncology and its different specialties is needed, some organizations and vendors have started gathering information on clinical outcomes.
At Ochsner’s South Shore, North Shore and Baton Rouge cancer centers, where the health system has implemented the Chemotherapy Care Companion program, preliminary data has shown ED visits and inpatient admissions have been reduced by 33%, Larned said.
On average, patients not enrolled in the virtual program visit the ED 4.9 times, compared with 3.3 times for enrolled patients, she said.
Other companies report optimistic patient-satisfaction rates. Around 75% of patients using Memora Health still engage with its app after 90 days, and 59% of users’ symptoms are managed without needing an in-person intervention, said Naomi Levinthal, vice president of strategy at Memora Health.
Three-fourths of oncology patients at Stanford have said they are likely to choose a video format for their next appointment over an in-person visit, Shah said.
Still, telemedicine can never fully replace in-office appointments, as most tests, scans and treatments can’t be done virtually. Physicians often want to be able to do things like feel a lymph node to determine if a patient is responding to treatment, or look at a wound and see if it’s healing well, Shah said.
“Sometimes a telehealth visit can underplay a potential symptom or side effect that a patient is having,” Mass General’s Isakoff said. “You might miss that with a home visit if they’re sitting comfortably on the couch and not really moving around.”
The emotional connection also plays a role: Some providers continue to worry about being able to establish the same connection with patients made possible by in-person appointments.
“It’s the way that we’re able to hold a patient’s hand when delivering bad news, or give them a hug,” Shah said. “It certainly is challenging to be able to convey that same level of empathy over a video visit.”
But more providers in the healthcare industry are beginning to see virtual visits and remote patient monitoring as part of a larger health-at-home ecosystem, with broad potential applications, Shah said.
“Instead of having to come to a tertiary care infusion center, could patients actually receive either chemotherapy, immunotherapies or injectable medications in the home setting?” he said. “The ultimate goal is to deliver more care in a dispersed fashion.”
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