1. Implementation and Outcomes of Virtual Care Across a Tertiary Cancer Center During COVID-19
- Author
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Lyndon Morley, Justin Liu, Adam Badzynski, Tran Truong, Zhihui Amy Liu, Mike Lovas, Monika K. Krzyzanowska, Melvin L.K. Chua, Luke Brzozowski, Alejandro Berlin, Onil Bhattacharyya, A. Keith Stewart, Carl Virtanen, Mary Beth Carpenter, Joseph A Cafazzo, Marnie Escaf, Lesley Moody, Sheena Melwani, and Avi Goldfarb
- Subjects
Program evaluation ,Cancer Research ,Telemedicine ,Time Factors ,Attitude of Health Personnel ,Cost-Benefit Analysis ,Workload ,Cancer Care Facilities ,Medical Oncology ,Tertiary Care Centers ,03 medical and health sciences ,Appointments and Schedules ,0302 clinical medicine ,Patient satisfaction ,Cost Savings ,Health care ,medicine ,Ambulatory Care ,Humans ,Online First ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Program Development ,Quality Indicators, Health Care ,Ontario ,business.industry ,Delivery of Health Care, Integrated ,Service design ,Research ,Brief Report ,COVID-19 ,General Medicine ,Health Care Costs ,medicine.disease ,Oncology ,Patient Satisfaction ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Feasibility Studies ,Medical emergency ,Health Expenditures ,business ,Comments ,Cohort study ,Program Evaluation - Abstract
Key Points Question Can virtual care (VC) be rapidly implemented across a tertiary center during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and what are service capacity and quality outcomes? Findings This cohort study of 22 085 VC visits at a single cancer center suggests feasibility of an agile service design process for implementation of VC at scale. This approach preserved outpatient caseloads and maintained care quality in all 6 care-quality domains of care quality laid out by the Institute of Medicine while rendering high patient and practitioner satisfaction. Meaning These data support the value proposition of VC to safeguard system capacity, while minimizing the disruption to patient care during a pandemic., Importance The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has burdened health care resources and disrupted care of patients with cancer. Virtual care (VC) represents a potential solution. However, few quantitative data support its rapid implementation and positive associations with service capacity and quality. Objective To examine the outcomes of a cancer center–wide virtual care program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study applied a hospitalwide agile service design to map gaps and develop a customized digital solution to enable at-scale VC across a publicly funded comprehensive cancer center. Data were collected from a high-volume cancer center in Ontario, Canada, from March 23 to May 22, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcome measures were care delivery volumes, quality of care, patient and practitioner experiences, and cost savings to patients. Results The VC solution was developed and launched 12 days after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 22 085 VC visits (mean, 514 visits per day) were conducted, comprising 68.4% (range, 18.8%-100%) of daily visits compared with 0.8% before launch (P, This cohort study of a publicly funded comprehensive cancer center examines the outcomes of a cancer center–wide virtual care program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Published
- 2021