Reimagine Care – a home-focused, on-demand cancer care provider – has unveiled a partnership with Memorial Hermann Health System. After initial trials proved effective, the two parties will expand their partnership to offer more digital, virtual and in-home care options for cancer patients.
“We have seen firsthand the transformative impact of this partnership on our patients and staff,” Sandra Miller, vice president of the oncology service line at Memorial Hermann, said in a statement. “By leveraging Reimagine Care’s innovative technology and experienced care team, we have been able to provide enhanced patient care, reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure our physicians can work more efficiently. This expansion will allow us to extend these benefits to even more patients and further our mission of delivering exceptional health care.”
Memorial Hermann is one of the largest nonprofit health systems operating in Southeast Texas. It has an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), operates 17 hospitals and has multiple speciality programs in the Houston area.
On its end, the Nashville-based Reimagine Care is an on-demand cancer care provider. The company “integrates clinical oncology experts and robust, enabling technologies” to deliver cancer care and recovery treatment.
As more health care comes to the home, and technology improves, cancer care is considered one of the next areas that can be delivered in patients’ communities.
At the beginning of 2022, Reimagine Care announced that it had raised $25 million in funding to help drive more cancer care toward patients’ homes. Since then, it has received backing from others, like Memorial Hermann and Oncology Ventures. It also has partnered with the in-home medical care provider Dispatch Health and CU Innovations.
In its partnership with Memorial Hermann and others, Reimagine supports cancer patients with constantly available oncology specialists, who can help provide symptom concerns, further education and more supportive care in the home.
The first phase of Reimagine’s partnership with Memorial Hermann yielded very solid results, including: a 98% engagement rate from patients at Day 30 and a more than 80% engagement rate “beyond” Day 90; a Net Promoter Score of 86, which is far higher than the average score of 56 for similar patients elsewhere; the ability to manage 87% of patient symptoms without a need for a visit to brick-and-mortar facilities; and emergency center utilization of less than 5%.
The program has also yielded positive results for health care workers, according to the two organizations. Memorial Hermann’s physicians, specifically, are receiving 87% fewer symptom-related interruptions during the day, which allows them to focus time elsewhere, and potentially reduces burnout.
For the next step of the partnership, Reimagine will care for a larger group of patients in the Greater Houston area.
“We are honored to take our partnership with Memorial Hermann to new heights,” Reimagine Care CEO Dan Nardi said in a statement. “The remarkable success we’ve achieved together is a testament to the power of innovative collaboration within the health care industry. Our expanded partnership marks a pivotal moment in redefining cancer care, setting new benchmarks for patient engagement, satisfaction and outcomes. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in health care, revolutionizing the patient experience and establishing a new gold standard for the industry.”