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Virtual platform offers nutritional, wellness support for patients with cancer
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Virtual Health Partners recently launched a virtual program to provide nutritional and wellness support for patients with cancer.
“Working with the physicians who treat patients with cancer and complementing their care with around-the-clock nutrition, lifestyle and fitness support is a priority for Virtual Health Partners,” Jillian Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Virtual Health Partners, said in a press release. “We have specifically designed [this] program to help oncology patients meet their unique nutritional needs, while also being mindful of any side effects and nutritional challenges that they may be experiencing.”
Bruno Fang, MD, oncologist and hematologist at Regional Cancer Care Associates in New Jersey, said the program will offer patients access to nutrition specialists and lifestyle and fitness support from the comfort of their homes.
“We are eager to introduce our patients to this new platform,” Fang said in the release. “The new program is designed to help patients throughout their course of treatment and is accessible 24/7. It is truly the first-of-its-kind, and I know our patients will appreciate having ongoing support after leaving the clinic.”
HemOnc Today spoke with Cohen and Fang about the need for a program such as this, the patients it will serve and what it will offer.
Question: What was the need for a program such as this?
Cohen: We want to make access to care more convenient and improve what patients would be able to access in a standard brick-and-mortar situation. Nutrition plays an imperative role in keeping patients healthy and helps them stay on chemotherapy while continuing their lifestyle. The other component of this program is fitness. Hospitals may offer yoga for someone going through cancer, but it may be difficult for the patients to drive to the hospital. So, we bring the yoga class to the patient’s home.
Fang: In community oncology, we do not have a large central facility, such as a hospital or a cancer center. The challenge has always been to provide ancillary services for patients in a convenient and financially viable way. We have hired nutritionists in the past and for most indications in cancer, we could not get reimbursed by insurance companies. We have six medical oncology offices, so having six nutritionists in each of these offices was not financially viable. The goal is to have nutritional services available in a way that is feasible for patients and is also convenient, because these services are especially critical for patients with cancer.
Q: Who can participate in the program and how can they participate?
Cohen: We offer access through a subscription model in combination with the participating partner. If a physician or hospital is participating with one of our platforms, then they can invite patients to join.
Q: What exactly will the program provide for patients with cancer?
Cohen: It is variable based upon the patient’s needs and type of cancer. Our team supports the patient by providing nutritionists, life and health coaches, social workers, psychologists and fitness instructors. We are providing a full package that includes a subscription with a certain number of appointments, live group classes, support groups and a messenger feature through which they can submit questions at any time. We also offer a full on-demand library that includes videos, recipes and meal plans for additional support.
The platform utilizes artificial intelligence for profiling and goal-setting. Patients answer a series of questions that help to form personalized eating habits, fitness goals or exercise goals. It is important to know each patient’s No. 1 goal. If their eating goal is to have one meal per week cooked with their family, we want to know that so that we can support them for it. A lot of times, a patient’s goal will be different from what the clinician thinks their No. 1 goal should be, and we are here to support that goal.
Fang: The app provides recipes that can be customized by dietary needs. For example, if a patient is kosher and needs to restrict salt and has mouth sores, they can select recipes that would apply to all of these conditions. The app provides nearly 2 million recipes that are stratified by all different variables, and recipes are selected that are appropriate for each patient. In addition, the app offers pre-recorded programs. With the basic contract, patients have 24/7 access to a nutritionist via text message. For a higher fee, the program offers a consultation with a nutritionist on a Skype-like platform once per month. Basically, the financial relationship is between the patient and Virtual Health Partners. However, we are offering all of our patients undergoing chemotherapy the full package for 1 month. After this, the patient can choose to pay. For us, it is a critical piece of care to allow our patients to have convenient access to a nutritionist. We are in conversation with health insurance payers, some of whom are excited about this program, and they are considering covering the program in the future.
Q: What is your ultimate hope for the program?
Cohen: I hope that this program will reduce hospital admissions and help people get through their fight with cancer and maintain a level of nutritional status so that they are able to complete their chemotherapy and stay as healthy as possible.
Fang: The hope is that the program will be successful in offering nutritional support and advice and improve outcomes for patients. It is very useful for caregivers who are always trying to understand how to manage their loved one’s nutrition. Another key component of the program is being able to collect data on the well-being of patients as well as improving metrics.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to mention?
Cohen: This program is game-changing for anybody who has been diagnosed with cancer. These patients now have support that they have never had before, right at their fingertips whenever they need it. Certified and trained experts can now provide nutrition and lifestyle modification virtually. It is unbelievable what we have been able to bring to them.
Fang: A potential limitation is that elderly patients may have a challenge in working with an app. But, more and more, we are seeing older patients become familiar with this technology. For the vast majority of patients, this is going to be a great resource. – by Jennifer Southall
For more information:
Jillian Cohen, can be reached at Virtual Health Partners, 106 E. 19th St., New York, NY 10003; email: jillian@virtualhp.com.
Bruno Fang, MD, can be reached at Regional Cancer Care Associates, J2 Brier Hill Court, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.
Disclosures: Cohen is employed by Virtual Health Partners. Fang reports no relevant financial disclosures.