The Case for Decentralizing Cancer Care: The Rural Oncology Home

Abstract

Despite significant advances in cancer therapies over recent decades, the United States grapples with growing disparities in cancer-related outcomes between its rural populations and urban and suburban counterparts. These disparities can be attributed, in part, to the centralization of oncology services within urban centers, which concomitantly imposes heightened travel demands on rural patients, constricting their access to comprehensive cancer treatment and specialized care. Historically, strategies such as the visiting consultant outreach model have been deployed to improve service accessibility, yet they offer only fragmented solutions to the multifaceted challenge of equitable care distribution. In response to this challenge, the authors introduce the rural oncology home, an alternative model for rural oncology care delivery. This innovative approach is centered on a community-based, team-oriented framework that incorporates medical specialists and emphasizes supportive services. By leveraging advanced practice professionals and care coordination, the model aims to enhance the accessibility of specialized cancer care for rural patients. Such models for rural oncology care delivery are emerging, with a pronounced emphasis on leveraging telehealth technologies. The Lakewood Health System Rural Oncology Home model can potentially create a more equitable system of cancer care delivery that can bridge the rural cancer gap and improve outcomes for rural patients with cancer.