Chemotherapy Care Companion: Enhancing cancer care through digital remote monitoring.

Abstract

1636 Background: Oncology patients often encounter preventable acute issues prompting the need for proactive monitoring and management. To manage disease and therapy complications, Ochsner Health developed Chemotherapy Care Companion (CCC) for remote monitoring of treatment patients. This abstract highlights the feasibility of digital remote monitoring (DRM) in managing oncologic patient care, while increasing patient satisfaction and reducing patient events and healthcare costs. Methods: Starting in January 2021, patients initiating an oral or intravenous cancer treatment with an active Ochsner portal account and smartphone became eligible. Providers can manually enroll patients via an order set and receive enrollment reminders within the Epic electronic medical record (EMR). Patients receive a digital WiFi-enabled monitoring scale, blood pressure cuff, and ear thermometer, at no cost. Patients are reminded via phone alerts to take vitals at 9am and 3pm, along with a daily questionnaire. The data is transmitted wirelessly to the EMR, where abnormal vital signs or questionnaire responses trigger escalations sent to an Epic in-basket pool. During clinic hours, advanced practice providers (APPs) review and intervene, utilizing embedded urgent care slots for same-day access. In August 2022, a patient satisfaction survey comprising of nine questions was distributed to all enrolled patients. Results: A retrospective analysis was conducted from September 2022 to August 2023 including 722 participants, 7,360 escalations and 668 interventions. Patient compliance reached 62%, defined as submitting at least 50% of daily vitals. The most common interventions were related to hypertension, hypotension, weight changes, and questionnaire responses. Regarding questionnaire responses, diarrhea, pain, fever, and dizziness were the mostly frequently triaged. Data analytics revealed that CCC led to a 5.9% decrease in emergency room visits, a 41.7% decrease in the rate of inpatient hospital admissions, and a 32.3% improvement in the inpatient length of stay compared to non-enrolled patients. Extrapolating this data across 5,500 oncology patients within our hospital system, CCC could prevent 172 ER visits, 914 inpatient hospital admissions and 2,006 hospital days. The survey (131 responses) revealed high satisfaction with CCC: over 80% felt a sense of security, 90% were overall satisfied, and more than 90% would recommend CCC. Conclusions: Findings highlight the value of integrating DRM in cancer care, showcasing its ability to reduce healthcare costs and optimize resource utilization while enhancing patient care and satisfaction. Moreover, the study underscores the high patient satisfaction and engagement with DRM, bolstering its feasibility and acceptance in oncology care. Further investigation is warranted to explore the financial benefits for hospitals, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies.