Clinical & Operational Integration

To ensure integration with existing clinical and operations workflows and to promote adoption at scale, health systems should execute to:

Adapt Existing Health System Technology Infrastructure
Empower Providers to Use Digital Health Solutions as Part of Routine Care
Engage Health System Staff in Multi-Disciplinary Team Care

Objective 1: Adapt Existing Health System Technology Infrastructure

Digital Solution Value Proposition: Adapt Existing Health System Technology Infrastructure

Investment in telehealth platforms, patient-facing technologies to support cancer clinical trial participation, and EHR-embedded applications is a high-value but costly endeavor.

While many of the digital health solutions useful in improving access and reducing financial toxicity are EHR-compatible, integrating third-party technology directly into the EHR is difficult because of patient privacy concerns. Acquisition and roll out strategies should plan for privacy- compliant, equitable solution deployment.

How to deploy: Approaches for Infrastructure Adaptation

Objective 2: Empower Providers to use Digital Health Solutions as Part of Routine Care

Digital Solution Value Proposition: Incentivize and Train Providers to Ensure Clinical Integration

Provider buy-in and education are fundamental to digital health solution adoption as part of routine cancer care. Health systems can support provider buy-in by ensuring that digital health solutions:

How to deploy: Approaches for Empowering Providers

Objective 3: Engage Health System Staff in Multi-Disciplinary Team Care

Digital Solution Value Proposition: The Value of Building Multi-Disciplinary Care Teams (MDTs) to Provide Access to High-Quality Care

Team-based care involving oncologists from different specializations – as well as oncology nurses, nurse navigators, pathologists, pharmacists, nutritionists, and social workers – provides access to more treatment options and clinical trials, and better enables patients to maintain their quality of life during treatment.

Virtual MDTs can reduce complexities and geographic impediments to care coordination with minimal additional infrastructure investments.

How to deploy: Approaches for Engaging Health System Staff in MDTs

Identify core team members, clearly define roles, including the care coordinator role, and ensure universal access to health data needed for treatment planning and execution.
Incorporate patient comorbidities and patient views on treatment options into decision making to improve quality of care.
Assess quality in the decision making of MDTs by using validated evaluation checklists such as MODe-Lite or MDT-QuIC.

Defining Success & Choosing Solutions

Key performance indicators (KPIs) can be used to measure successful digital health solution implementation. Select KPIs that:

Are measurable

Align with existing data workflows

Work within your system’s existing strategy to improve patient access

Key examples

Development of a change management process for technology acquisition and roll out based on consults with providers and informatics staff.
Documentation of pathways for the integration of digital solutions within clinical workflows.
Establishment of process for health system staff feedback on the utility and challenges associated with solution uptake.
% Increase in adoption of digital health solutions among clinicians after first year of roll out.

Access Example Solutions

Here is a guide of existing solutions to expedite time to diagnosis and treatment; support the provision of high-quality virtual care; and extend clinical research options.