Abstract 719: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on a novel cancer care delivery model at Federally Qualified Health Centers

Abstract

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 has particularly disrupted the lives of vulnerable patients needing comprehensive care, including cancer survivors. Moreover, patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment for cancer are at heightened infection risk and when infected, cancer survivors are at higher risk of serious infection. Further complicating matters, surgeries with curative intent have been significantly limited and systemic therapies for patients with cancer have been delayed to minimize patient and staff exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Preexisting gaps in cancer screening, treatment, and follow up as well as in the monitoring of primary care needs for patients at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) have become more apparent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 4R model (Right information and Right Care for the Right Patient at the Right Time) is a novel approach our team developed to facilitate cancer planning, as a vehicle for patient enablement and team-based care delivery across the oncology and primary care continuum. The innovative cancer care delivery model has been successfully implemented and used in a pre-COVID setting. The COVID-19 pandemic provides an urgent need to study the ways in which preexisting cancer care delivery models have been disrupted and to adapt processes in order to provide quality care. Methods: Semi-structured interviews are being conducted with clinical care team members (N=10), patients (N=25), family/caregivers (N=10), and community organizations (N=5) in order to identify areas in which care for patients with cancer in a primary care setting have changed and how clinics are adapting to their patients' needs in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Rapid analysis process, which is a qualitative analysis method recommended for circumstances in which a quick analysis is required to adopt changes to an ongoing process, will be utilized. Results: Preliminary results from stakeholder feedback and clinical care team interviews have revealed changes in the FQHC's approach to cancer care coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring/early summer of 2020, clinical team members were overburdened with clinical operation changes and the need to swiftly re-allocate resources towards COVID-19 testing. Non-emergent appointments transitioned to telehealth and care coordinators, the keystone of the 4R model, were working remotely and were met with significant obstacles in referring cancer survivors to specialty care and community resources. Conducting additional interviews will help elucidate the receptivity of the recently implemented 4R cancer care delivery model and inform how telehealth can be harnessed during this time to meet the complex needs and coordinating care for patients with cancer. Citation Format: Nicolas Francone, Will Dunne, Jonathan Alhalel, Sankirtana Danner, Nihmotallahi Adebayo, T Madorsky, Cassandra Osei, Juan Rivera, J Trossman, Christine Weldon, Elizabeth Adetoro, Melissa Simon. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on a novel cancer care delivery model at Federally Qualified Health Centers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 719.