Patient Engagement and Cancer Care

Conference Correspondent

Patient engagement presents a challenge in cancer care because of the complexities of the disease and the various health issues that patients often face after diagnosis. In the November 23 session of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) 10th Annual Summit, Jayson Slotnik, JD, MPH, Managing Partner at Health Policy Strategies, moderated a panel discussion on the challenges of patient engagement and the future of technology in cancer care.

Bruce Carroll, Vice President of Market Access, Government Relations, and Healthcare Policy at Proteus Digital Health, Inc, presented the challenges of introducing technology to the US healthcare system, stating that just because a company believes in its technology, this does not mean the system will change. He said that there is also a strong mistrust between consumers and technology companies because of privacy concerns among patients.

Fred Brown, Founder of Fab Ventures, discussed his work with an artificial intelligence–powered digital health coach. Mr Brown presented data showing high usage rates of the digital health coach, which is being used nearly every day—and sometimes more than once a day—by each user. The users shared a broad range of sensitive information that patients are normally more reluctant to discuss face to face with providers.

“Technology or AI platforms are not the panacea. It is a combination of therapy, the physician and nurse practitioner support, caregiver support, and, most importantly, the will of the patient to beat their condition that creates positive outcomes in oncology,” said Srini Utpala, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ATEY20.

Studies show that 53% of emergency department visits are unnecessary and can be avoided. Lily Tang, PhD, DABR, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Liyfe Clinic, said that technology can solve the lack of support for symptom management. Most patients experience symptoms during treatment, and these symptoms should be proactively managed. Dr Tang believes that when creating a product, it needs to empower patients and clinicians, improve clinical outcomes, and save costs.

Gain access to these in-depth, expert views on the future of value-based analytics in oncology practices when you register for the AVBCC Summit!

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