Report based on roundtable of national leaders elevates specialized medical transportation as mission-critical healthcare infrastructure impacting survival, equity and care continuity
MEMPHIS, TN , February 19, 2026 – MedHaul and CancerX today released a groundbreaking national report and action agenda focused on eliminating the transportation barriers that cause patients to miss cancer treatments and clinical trials. The report draws on insights from a first-of-its-kind national roundtable, highlighting how transportation challenges continue to disrupt care and contribute to inequitable outcomes across the cancer ecosystem.
The discussion brought together a coalition of cancer center executives, clinical trial operators, pharmaceutical partners and digital health innovators to align on solutions that embed specialized fulfillment directly into oncology care and research workflows. The resulting report, “Overcoming Logistical Barriers in Cancer Care and Clinical Trials,” establishes a singular conclusion: Logistical failure is clinical failure.
Participants emphasized a critical shift in perspective: transportation is not an ancillary service, but core health care infrastructure. Roundtable insights highlighted that logistical barriers are widespread and consequential, with approximately 30% of cancer patients reporting transportation or related logistical challenges, and 77% of oncology professionals noting that they had patients in the past year who required emergency care because transportation barriers prevented timely outpatient treatment. Notably, oncology patients with unreliable transportation are 2.6 times more likely to face delays in care, leading to late-stage disease progression. Transportation was identified as the most immediate and measurable leverage point for improving both clinical outcomes and system performance across the cancer care continuum.
“Cancer care innovation has advanced rapidly, but those innovations are irrelevant if the patient cannot physically reach the clinic,” said Erica Plybeah, CEO of MedHaul. “Transportation isn’t just a logistical issue. It’s about trust, safety and making sure patients can rely on getting to and from care with dignity and the right level of support. When we treat transportation as health care infrastructure and integrate high quality, medically appropriate ride solutions into oncology workflows, we reduce cancellations, improve treatment adherence and help close critical care gaps.”
Stakeholders emphasized that transportation challenges span the entire oncology care journey, from diagnosis and daily radiation to systemic therapy, survivorship and clinical trials participation. Late appointment cancellations, often upwards of 20%, create significant underutilized capacity and delayed care. Participants noted that standard rideshare solutions alone are often not designed to support the full spectrum of oncology patient needs, particularly for individuals with mobility limitations, severe fatigue, oxygen dependence or long travel distances from rural communities, where specialty care may be 35 to 75 miles away. Addressing these gaps requires more comprehensive transportation infrastructure to reduce missed care and support treatment adherence, caregiver burden and clinical trial participation.
“Transportation is one of the most solvable barriers with the potential to make an outsized impact on cancer outcomes,” said Kamal Jethwani, MD, MPH, Vice President of Digital Ventures, Moffitt Cancer Center and CancerX Lead. “Lack of transportation means not getting initial treatments, not being able to get diagnostics in a timely way or even not being able to complete treatments. This roundtable underscores the need for cross-sector collaboration to build durable, scalable solutions that support patients throughout their cancer journey.”
Insights from the discussion are detailed in a newly released report, “Overcoming Logistical Barriers in Cancer Care and Clinical Trials,” which outlines evidence, stakeholder perspectives, and an action agenda for embedding transportation into oncology care and research workflows. The report is available at cancerx.health/medhaul-roundtable-form
About MedHaul
MedHaul is a digital health and mobility platform that simplifies how patients with complex medical needs get to their appointments safely and reliably. MedHaul technology coordinates medically appropriate transport—including wheelchair, stretcher, and door-through-door assistance—for patients across the spectrum of healthcare and clinical trials. Operating in both urban and rural communities, MedHaul is a certified B Corp committed to ensuring health for everyone, everywhere
About CancerX
CancerX is a groundbreaking public-private partnership designed to accelerate innovation in the fight against cancer. Hosted by Advocate Health and Moffitt Cancer Center, and launched in coordination with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP), as part of the HHS InnovationX program.
For further information, please contact:
Nathalie Occean
Chief Operating Officer, MedHaul, Inc.
partnerships@medhaul.com
Vrushali Malpekar
Director of Marketing, CancerX
Vrushali@cancerx.health