How partnering with Reimagine Care can improve patient access, reduce unnecessary ED visits, and alleviate oncology provider shortages in rural areas.
Tony Cullen, Director of Growth & Pete Manning, Senior Director of Growth
Cancer care delivery is complex. It’s especially challenging in rural areas.
People living in rural communities face numerous health disparities in comparison with residents of urban areas, and that gap is widening. CDC data show that people living in rural counties have a higher risk of dying earlier from cancer than people living in urban counties.1Access to timely, high-quality cancer care can be especially challenging due to many socioeconomic factors compounded by the shortage of both oncologists and other cancer care specialists. Although an estimated 17%-20% of the U.S. population resides in rural areas, only 3% of medical oncologists practice in rural communities.2
Long distances to clinics and hospitals, limited availability of specialists, and logistical challenges often result in patients delaying or foregoing the care they need. Without timely intervention, patients are more likely to visit the emergency department (ED) as symptoms worsen. While many health systems rely on patient portals and downloadable apps to communicate with patients, internet access is often limited or unavailable in rural areas.
Reimagine Care is an ideal partner for community health systems and practices, particularly those serving patients in rural areas, now 15% of the United States3. Reimagine Care directly addresses these challenges by partnering with oncology providers to offer patients 24/7 access to human-led, tech-enabled, proactive and on-demand care from the comfort and convenience of their own home.
Distance is no longer a barrier for patients.
Transportation is often a barrier to care for patients in rural areas. For many, the nearest oncology clinic or hospital is a significant distance away, making it difficult to receive timely care when symptoms arise.
Reimagine Care eliminates geographic barriers as on-demand responsiveness gives patients peace-of-mind and reduces the financial and emotional burden of traveling long distances or waiting for scheduled appointments.
Reducing unnecessary ED visits and in-clinic follow-ups.
Reimagine Care partners closely with oncology providers to extend high-quality care beyond the clinic walls. By providing proactive and on-demand support, Reimagine Care leverages a combination of proactive SMS text check-ins, telehealth capabilities, and personalized care plans to address patient needs instantly.
For more urgent concerns, a team comprised of experienced oncology RNs and APPs in our Virtual Care Center connect with patients to address their symptoms before they become more severe. As a result, Reimagine Care has helped providers reduce unnecessary ED visit rates by 10% when compared to benchmark data. Additionally, Reimagine Care data shows that over 95% of patients’ symptoms are resolved from the comfort of their home without requiring an in-person follow-up visit.
Improving physician retention and expanding market reach
For rural cancer centers seeking to recruit oncologists or improve clinician retention, Reimagine Care can offer significant value by reducing patient communications volume by 88% or more4. Reimagine Care delights oncology providers by enabling them to spend more time focused on new patients or at home with their family. This is especially important in rural areas where there may be a shortage of oncology providers.
“This program has changed my entire experience as an oncologist. It allows me to be in two places at once. I am spared many 2am phone calls, and I’ve had the best sleep of my career.”
~Medical Oncologist, Community Health System
Reimagine Care also enables health systems to scale their services without the operational burden of hiring additional specialized staff or acquiring technologies that require costly customization to meet the needs of their rural population. Provider organizations can extend their services and capabilities ‘beyond the horizon’ without the need to invest in additional infrastructure or staffing. Importantly, Reimagine Care is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing provider workflows and protocols, allowing for smooth coordination between local providers and remote care teams.
Enhancing patient experience and satisfaction
At the heart of Reimagine Care’s approach is a commitment to enhancing the patient’s experience. By providing care in a familiar, comfortable environment, Reimagine Care helps reduce the stress and anxiety often associated with cancer treatments. Patients worry less about arranging transportation or taking time off work for unscheduled appointments. Instead, they receive high-quality care and support whenever they need it, without leaving their homes.
This patient-centered approach is particularly meaningful for rural patients who can feel isolated from healthcare resources. With Reimagine Care, patients have continuous access to their care team, ensuring they never feel alone in managing their cancer journey.
“I like having access to nurses and people who can help manage symptoms without having to go to the doctor every time something goes wrong.”
~Reimagine Care patient
On-Demand Cancer Care in Rural Areas
Reimagine Care’s on-demand cancer care model is transforming the way rural patients receive treatment. By reducing the need for emergency department visits and in-clinic follow-ups, Reimagine Care is helping providers improve access to care, lower healthcare costs, and enhance the patient experience. Reimagine Care offers a practical solution to overcome the unique challenges of rural cancer care delivery – while continuing to provide high-quality, compassionate, patient-centered care.
Reimagine Care, together with health systems and practices in rural areas, can create a future where every patient, no matter their zip code, can have access to the care they need from the comfort of their own home.
About Reimagine Care:
Reimagine Care is the nation’s only provider of on-demand cancer care – a technology-enabled service partnering with providers to support needs of cancer patients beyond the walls of the clinic. We believe people living with cancer deserve a better patient experience; to feel their best and to spend as much time as possible with the people they love, doing the things that bring them joy.
We are a team of oncology experts singularly focused on solving the complex problems that plague the cancer journey for patients and providers. Our proactive solution integrates an AI-enabled virtual assistant, the latest evidence-based care pathways, digital check-ins, education and ePRO surveys with 24/7 access to clinical oncology experts and the ability to deploy supportive care directly into patients’ homes.
Our vision and our approach fuel the delivery of high-quality, safe, home-centered, coordinated cancer care that makes care more patient-centric, accessible, affordable, and the first choice for patients everywhere.
Extending Care Beyond the Clinic.
Would you like to chat? Reach out to Tony Cullen or Pete Manning to learn more about bringing on-demand cancer care to your community.
- https://www.cdc.gov/rural-health/php/about/leading-causes-of-death-toolkit.html ↩︎
- Kirkwood MK, Bruinooge SS, Goldstein MA, Bajorin DF, Kosty MP. Enhancing the American Society of Clinical Oncology workforce information system with geographic distribution of oncologists and comparison of data sources for the number of practicing oncologists. J Oncol Pract. 2014;10(1):32-38 ↩︎
- United States Department of Agriculture: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes; 2021 ↩︎
- Reimagine care data ↩︎