COVID19 Pandemic: Natural Experiment in Rural Cancer Care Telehealth Capacity

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented need to deliver ongoing cancer care remotely. Norris Cotton Cancer Center providers transitioned ambulatory care to televisits for a large proportion of patients within weeks of confirmed COVID-19 cases within our region, which encompasses rural areas in New Hampshire and Vermont. This rapid expansion of telehealth will have unknown effects on telehealth capacity post-pandemic. In this cyber discussion we provide contextual information for understanding the use of telehealth for cancer care during the pandemic. We share early data on use of telehealth for oncology in comparison to other services and discuss potential multi-level drivers for sustained telehealth in oncology with a focus on rural populations

For background on expansion of COVID-19 rural cancer care telehealth capacity, please see the following three articles:

• COVID-19 & Rural Health Equity in Northern New England (PDF)
• Rapid Utilization of Telehealth in a Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Response to COVID-19: Cross Sectional Analysis
• The Promise and the Peril of Virtual Health Care

Presenters

This webinar will be archived on the Healthcare Teams Cyber Discussion and HDRP Events webpages.