NASHVILLE, Tenn. And DENVER | July 18, 2023, Reimagine Care and DispatchHealth today announced a partnership to improve the lives of patients with cancer by extending comprehensive care beyond brick-and-mortar facilities. The collaboration also aims to lower healthcare costs and reduce unplanned hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
“Supporting patients virtually, through our experienced oncology clinicians, and in the home, through this partnership with DispatchHealth, will alleviate many of the triage and symptom management demands on clinicians while improving the cancer care experience for patients and their families,” said Dr. Pallav Mehta medical director for Reimagine Care.
Cancer care represents a sizable portion of total healthcare spending in the United States, with projected growth of 34% to $246 billion by 2030. Significant contributors are unplanned hospitalizations and emergency department visits. DispatchHealth co-founder and CEO Dr. Mark Prather said, “travelling to an emergency room for diagnostics or treatment of side effects while undergoing cancer therapy is the last thing a patient wants or needs. The risk of hospital-acquired infections is real, as is the inconvenience and unnecessary cost. We believe that the home is the optimal site of care to heal whenever possible.”
This first-of-its-kind collaboration enables care delivery in close coordination between Reimagine Care, DispatchHealth, and the patient’s primary oncology team to create a unified care experience. This virtual-to-home care partnership will further support oncology providers and improve the patient’s experience through evidence-based care pathways, advanced technology platforms, and real-time data management.
Through Reimagine Care’s Cancer Care at Home platform, patients are proactively monitored and have 24/7 access to experienced oncology nurses and advanced practice providers via SMS text, phone, and video. When virtual clinicians identify a need for hands-on symptom management support, they can seamlessly request services for in-home care. Once ordered, DispatchHealth arrives at the patient’s home equipped with the necessary tools and treatments—including those that can address more complex clinical needs that would traditionally require a trip to the hospital or emergency room.
Dr. Prather adds, “creating this pathway for vulnerable patients to get the care they need without leaving home is an industry game-changer; we are committed to the enablement and delivery of high acuity care in the home, and this partnership furthers that goal.”
About DispatchHealth: Bringing the power of the hospital to the comfort of home™
DispatchHealth provides comprehensive and trusted medical care in the comfort of home to people with serious health concerns—with services that include same-day, urgent medical care; hospital alternative care; and recovery care. Our emergency medicine and hospitalist medicine trained care teams are equipped with all the tools necessary—including imaging and IV infusions—to treat common to complex injuries and illnesses in the home. DispatchHealth is partnered with most major insurance companies and works closely with primary care and specialty care providers, EMS, health systems, senior living facilities, and employers to deliver in-home care that reduces unnecessary emergency room visits, hospital stays and readmissions. Since the company’s inception in 2013, our expert medical teams have treated more than one million people in their homes across more than 30 states in the country—resulting in 58% emergency room avoidance, 8.5% 30-day hospital readmission, 98% patient satisfaction, and nearly $1.5 billion in medical cost savings. For more information, visit DispatchHealth.com.
About Reimagine Care
Reimagine Care provides technology-enabled services to support health systems and independent practices in delivering high-quality, home-centered, value-based cancer care. The company’s Cancer Care at Home program addresses the clinical, operational, and financial barriers in healthcare today that make it challenging for providers to make the transition to home-centered care. At the same time, Reimagine Care is improving the patient and caregiver experience, reducing the burden on oncologists and nurses, and increasing provider revenue through net new patients, optimizing capacity, and enabling participation in value-based contracts. Please visit reimaginecare.com to learn more.
Media Contacts:
DispatchHealth: Kirsten Gurmendi, kirsten.gurmendi@dispatchhealth.com
Reimagine Care: Daniel Goodman, dgoodman@reimaginecare.com