A Texas facility is using AI to improve mental health outcomes for cancer patients – State of Reform – State of Reform

Eli Kirshbaum | Dec 28, 2020

At the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Texas, providers are utilizing artificial intelligence to determine risk paths for cancer patients, according to HealthITAnalytics. A survey revealed that cancer patients experience high levels of anxiety, depression and financial struggles. The AI system, provided by Jvion, aims to provide a holistic view of cancer patients health and identify at-risk patients based on clinical and socioeconomic factors.

We realized very quickly that if we were going to successfully control costs and provide high-quality healthcare for cancer patients, we would have to risk manage our patients, Ray Page, PhD, an oncologist and hematologist at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Forth Worth and Weatherford, told HealthITAnalytics. Its mandatory that we identify our most vulnerable patients the ones that are most likely to get sick and have adverse outcomes to better manage them.

In the aforementioned survey, 50.7 percent of cancer patients said they experienced anxiety symptoms and 46.8 percent said they experienced depression symptoms. HealthITAnalytics cites an additional study in which 38 percent of surveyed cancer patients said they have suffered financially because of the pandemic and have had difficulties paying for needed services.

According to HealthITAnalytics, caseworkers review and check in with at-risk patients on behalf of the organization. They make sure patients are doing well and offer them ancillary services.

The organization has numerous additional resources including a patient navigator, a social worker, a nutritionist, a psychologist, a pain doctor, an acupuncturist, on-site rehabilitation and pre-rehabilitation for patients about to get chemotherapy and radiation, Page told HealthITAnalytics.

Page said that the AI tool allows doctors to gain information on things like a cancer patients life situation, their finances or their nutrition. According to him, this information is not easily gained from short routine visits with patients.

Our physician board has, in essence, pre-prescribed orders, Page told HealthITAnalytics. If we have a case worker or a case manager that identifies one of our patients as being high risk in a certain vector, an automatic consult occurs. A physician doesnt have to make that call; its already a standing order. That makes the whole clinical workflow and the clinical process smoother and easier.

According to Page, AI will continue to improve and assist oncologists in providing better treatment for cancer patients.

As we learn and become more efficient with these tools, and we start analyzing more real-world data, the technology is going to continue to be integrated into cancer centers and clinics, he told HealthITAnalytics. AI will optimize outcomes and make cancer-related outcomes better for everybody. Tools like these allow us to proactively identify patients that are depressed, and approach and manage them so they can have the best mental state as theyre dealing with their cancer.

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A Texas facility is using AI to improve mental health outcomes for cancer patients - State of Reform - State of Reform