Telehealth Based Synchronous Navigation to Improve Molecularly-Informed Care for Patients With Lung Cancer

Arms (2)

1. type

   EXPERIMENTAL

   label

   Telehealth

   description

   Patients in the intervention arm will be scheduled for an enhanced synchronous telehealth visit with a trained lung cancer nurse navigator prior to tissue biopsy. The enhanced synchronous telehealth visit will ideally occur between the initial clinical appointment and diagnostic biopsy (typically a period between two and seven days). In addition to the activities conducted as part of usual care, the nurse navigator will: 1) provide more detailed and individualized education on lung cancer and the rationale for comprehensive molecular testing, including plasma-based tests; and 2) if the patient agrees to testing, pend a default order for plasma-based molecular testing (if not already ordered) for the clinician to sign and arrange for phlebotomy to be performed at the time of the patient's tissue biopsy.

   interventionNames

   1. Other: Telehealth

2. type

   NO_INTERVENTION

   label

   Usual Care

   description

   Patients in the usual care arm will receive a telephone call from a trained lung cancer nurse navigator after biopsy, as is typical at Penn Medicine, to 1) review the roles of clinicians on the medical oncology care team; 2) provide brief education on lung cancer; and 3) review the patient's diagnostic history and coordinate collection or completion of imaging required for guideline-recommended cancer staging. At the initial in-person oncology visit, the oncologist may choose to order plasma-based testing if appropriate (and if not already ordered or pending).