HCA Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute in Nashville, Tenn., has introduced a model to monitor patients who received CAR-T cell therapy in an outpatient setting.
Because of the specialized and intensive nature of the CAR-T cell treatment process, patients are closely monitored and typically require inpatient hospitalization for up to two weeks after the infusion. The cancer center piloted a model that involved at-home patient-monitoring technology and outpatient clinical teams at four of its cellular therapy networks sites. It found that more than 75% of its cell therapy patients were safely transitioned to the outpatient setting, according to a Feb. 22 news release.
"The program model resulted in more than 1,200 hospital bed days saved for the first 100 patients compared to historical results, and approximately 20% of patients avoided hospitalization altogether," the institution said.
The initiative involves a collaboration with Best Buy Health, which provides a tailored version of its Current Health platform for CAR-T cell therapy patients. The platform collects vital sign data and monitors symptoms via wearable devices, with an outpatient team of clinicians managing patients' needs.
HCA said it plans to expand to introduce the model to additional sites throughout 2024. The Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network provided CAR-T cell therapy to more than 300 patients last year, putting it among the nation's largest providers of the treatment.