Cancer program reaches more vulnerable patients
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In 2024, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Jefferson Health launched the Same Day/Next Day (SDND) program to quickly connect patients with suspected cancer to oncology experts.
The program uses telehealth appointments within 48 hours to answer questions, schedule tests, and offer support. Researchers compared 1,111 patients evaluated through the SDND program with 1,720 patients seen before its launch, using the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to measure socioeconomic risk.
The SVI, a metric from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, identifies communities needing aid during crises. The study revealed the SDND program served a greater percentage of patients with high SVI scores, those at risk of poorer cancer outcomes, compared to traditional care. Specifically, 21.8% of patients in the SDND group were considered at risk, versus 15.47% in the pre-SDND group.
Furthermore, patients identified as high-risk and seen through the SDND program were more likely to begin first-line cancer therapy. 17.14% of these patients started treatment within approximately two years, compared to only 7.09% of similar patients before the program existed. Researchers plan to conduct further studies using individual patient data to examine factors like time to treatment and long-term outcomes.
