MORRISTOWN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medocity Inc. and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have launched a new research study to utilize Medocity’s patient-centered mobile solution for self-care at home with self-assessment and management of symptoms along with side effects for Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients undergoing treatment.
The unique study uses Medocity’s integrated platforms, iCancerHealth for patients and Medocity MD for clinicians, to connect patients in Dana-Farber’s Gastrointestinal Cancers treatment center with their clinical care team in real-time to manage medications, symptoms and side effects from treatment. The Principal Investigator at Dana-Farber, Donna Berry, PhD, RN, stated, “We know from randomized trials that monitoring and self-care, along with communication facilitators in patients receiving cancer therapies, result in significant benefit for the patient; the iCancerHealth platform has the potential to provide exactly that type of support.”
“We are excited to have Dana-Farber as a partner for this innovative, patient-centered research study that aligns with our mission to bridge the gap between clinic and the patient’s home,” said Raj Agarwal, CEO and President of Medocity. “We believe real-time coordinated care, supporting early detection of symptoms and side effects with proactive interventions, will enhance patient care and may reduce overall healthcare costs including avoidable ER visits and hospitalizations,” added Agarwal.
Dana-Farber’s clinical care team will utilize the Medocity MD platform for virtual interaction with study participants for continuity of care and monitoring between clinical visits using system-generated alerts for symptoms and side effects. The platform uses algorithm-based management to facilitate care delivery and communicate effectively with patients in a secured environment.
The study investigators will measure the feasibility of deploying the platform to both patients and clinicians. Dana-Farber will enroll 70 cancer patients and up to ten clinicians. The study is expected to complete by mid 2016.
With iCancerHealth, Medocity aims to:
- Improve patient experiences by enhancing communication and transparency of patient–reported outcomes (PRO) between patients, caregivers and clinicians.
- Enhance patient care at home by providing self-care tools and secured messaging, voice and video with the care team.
- Facilitate peer-powered online community support for cancer patients for psychological, social, family and career related impact
About Medocity
Medocity’s mission is to provide a virtual coordinated care platform that bridges the gap between the clinic and the patient’s home. This is accomplished by managing the patient’s care utilizing a proprietary, interactive and rules-based mobile solution designed to optimize the patient journey, improve quality of care, and effectively reduce avoidable health care costs in the system. Our vision is to provide a variety of offerings in multiple disease states that will ultimately enable transformation and innovation of healthcare delivery and patient care.
For more information, visit www.medocity.com or access the video guide for iCancerHealth at http://vimeo.com/116205479
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute. Dana-Farber is the top ranked cancer center in New England, according to U.S. News & World Report, and one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health grant funding.