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. 2023 Aug:7:e2300086.
doi: 10.1200/CCI.23.00086.

Information Technology and Telemedicine Services in Community Oncology Practices

Kah Poh Loh  1 , Ying Wang  2 , Sule Yilmaz  3 , Chandylen L Nightingale  4 , Susan K Parsons  5   6 , Christa Braun-Inglis  7 , Umang Gada  3 , Alexander Montes  3 , Allison Magnuson  1 , Eva Culakova  3 , Sarah Strause  3 , Charles Kamen  3 , Emily Dressler  8 , Karen Mustian  3 , Gary Morrow  3 , Supriya Mohile  1 ; Landscape Committee
Affiliations

Information Technology and Telemedicine Services in Community Oncology Practices

Kah Poh Loh et al. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: We described information technology support and use of telemedicine for cancer care and research purposes at community oncology practices within the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).

Methods: We used data from the NCORP 2017 and 2022 Landscape Assessments. Separate logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with the use of telemedicine for delivery of cancer care in 2017 and for research purposes in 2022 (cancer care delivery not assessed in 2022).

Results: Information was available from 210 and 259 practice groups excluding pediatric-only groups in 2017 and 2022, respectively. In 2017, 30% of practice groups used telemedicine for delivery of cancer care; half of these (15% overall) could use telemedicine for research purposes. In 2022, telemedicine was used for research purposes in 73% of practice groups. In multivariable models, self-identifying as a safety-net hospital was associated with a lower odd of telemedicine use for delivery of cancer care (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.93), whereas affiliation with a designated critical access hospital was associated with a higher odd of telemedicine use for delivery of cancer care (AOR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.10 to 4.76). Having a general survivorship clinic (AOR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.04 to 3.54) and number of oncology providers (increase per 10 providers; AOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.65) were associated with telemedicine use for research purposes.

Conclusion: Almost one third of NCORP practice groups used telemedicine for cancer care delivery in 2017. In 2022, there is high capacity among NCORP practices (almost three-quarters) to use telemedicine for research purposes, especially among practices with a general survivorship clinic and a greater provider number.

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Conflict of interest statement

The following represents disclosure information provided by authors of this manuscript. All relationships are considered compensated unless otherwise noted. Relationships are self-held unless noted. I = Immediate Family Member, Inst = My Institution. Relationships may not relate to the subject matter of this manuscript. For more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to www.asco.org/rwc or ascopubs.org/cci/author-center.

Open Payments is a public database containing information reported by companies about payments made to US-licensed physicians (Open Payments).

Emily Dressler

Research Funding: Omada Health

Other Relationship: ICF

Uncompensated Relationships: Society for Clinical Trials

No other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Figures

FIG 1.
FIG 1.
Number of community practice groups that used telemedicine (A) for delivery of cancer care in 2017 and (B) for research purposes in 2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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