Advancing Telemedicine Outreach within a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Lessons Learned from Rapid Transformation of Care Practice and Operational Changes Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to the delivery of healthcare while increasing care needs in certain areas To decrease the risk of transmitting the novel coronavirus to patients and healthcare workers, care providers have had to make major changes in their practice, such as increased use of telemedicine services Many cancer centers also had to modify their cancer care while adopting telemedicine in a very short time Objectives: To present the 4-week journey that our comprehensive cancer center underwent to implement telemedicine service during the pandemic, lessons learned from the process, and future directions for telemedicine use in cancer care Methods: The telemedicine implementation process used in our cancer center was consistent with the steps suggested by the American Medical Association The main steps included a needs assessment, identification and purchase of software and hardware, development of workflow and documentation mechanisms, preparation of clinicians and other team members, and patient education, as well as follow-up of implementation services, such as volume statistics, patient satisfaction surveys, and opportunities for improvement Results: During the first 6 months of telemedicine service, the number of outpatient visits via televisit increased significantly, from 0 to 2156 visits by the end of September 2020 Feedback from patient satisfaction surveys was positive The most appreciated aspect of telemedicine visits for patients was the ability to connect with their providers from home No major complaints from patients or resistance from providers and staff were reported Telemedicine service in our center has been undergoing continuous enhancements, and the service coverage has been increasing, including survivorship care appointments, social work interventions, caregiver support, and advance care planning Conclusion: Telemedicine is likely here to stay, with increasing capacity in the current eHealth ecosystem Further efforts must be made to generate evidence for its effectiveness in improving patient outcomes and experiences while establishing best practice approaches