The future of cancer care is outpatient: How leaders can prepare
Read Article: Becker’s Hospital Review
Article Summary: The future of cancer care is shifting from traditional inpatient settings to outpatient care. With the advent of immune and cell-based therapies, cancer treatments are becoming more accessible outside of the hospital, offering patients a better quality of life. These new therapies require less time in the hospital and can be administered with lower toxicity in outpatient settings. However, for hospitals and healthcare organizations, this shift requires a major rethinking of facilities, staffing, and infrastructure. Community hospitals, in particular, must prepare to manage these new therapies, including the specialized side effects, to provide patients with continuous, high-quality care. Healthcare leaders are advised to invest in outpatient infrastructure and train staff to handle these therapies to stay ahead of this evolving trend in cancer care.
The Risk:
Financial Strain from Infrastructure Upgrades: As cancer treatments move to outpatient settings, healthcare organizations must invest heavily in infrastructure, such as outpatient infusion centers, specialized equipment, and facility upgrades. Healthcare executives will need to allocate significant financial resources for these investments, which can strain budgets, especially in smaller or rural hospitals. (Area: Finance) (Category: Growth Initiatives)