*Timothy Mullett, MD, MBA, FACS1,2; *Pamela Hull, PhD1,2; *Ming-Yuan Chih, PhD1,3; Joseph Alexander III, MHA, MS, PMP1; Christine Stroebel, MPH1; Joan Scales, LCSW, OSW-C1; Katie Brown, MSSW, CSW1; Charles McCann III1; Jennifer Zhu, MS4; Emma Wickland, MPH, CHES4; Krista Casazza, PhD, RD, CSSD4; Marcie Squirewell Wright, PhD, MPH5; Robert A. Winn, MD4; *Co-first authors
1Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky (UK); 2College of Medicine, UK; 3College of Health Sciences, UK; 4Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center; 5VCU
This article is the fourth in a 10-part series highlighting the work of the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care, a national initiative focused on expanding access to high-quality cancer care for underserved communities.
Each installment will spotlight a different Alliance grantee site, exploring how healthcare teams are partnering with community organizations to break down barriers to care and reimagine what navigation looks like on the ground.
Through these stories, we’ll see how tailored, community-informed solutions are making cancer care more accessible.
Imagine a support team that can track a patient’s challenges in real time, adapt their support accordingly, and communicate efficiently all through an intuitive digital system. Designed to increase patients’ access to community resources, reduce barriers to completing recommended treatments, and enrich the overall patient experience, the Comprehensive Connected Cancer Care (C4) Program is introducing a digital cancer navigation platform in the palm of your hand. The tool is intended to supplement, not replace, in-person care, enabling patients to take a more active role in their cancer journey while at home and improving communication with support teams between visits.
Facing a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming and fraught with anxiety, uncertainty, and complex medical procedures. For many patients, the hurdles extend beyond the clinic walls; transportation struggles, financial hardships, and the challenge of finding a place to stay during treatment far from home can be daunting barriers that stand between a patient and the care they need.
At the University of Kentucky (UK) Markey Cancer Center, a dedicated team is working tirelessly to change this narrative through the C4 Program. Thanks to support from the Merck Foundation, the program is embracing technology and partnering with the community to make cancer care more accessible as part of the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care.
One of the program’s shining innovations is a user-friendly smartphone app, called MyPath KY (Figure 1), designed specifically for cancer patients and their families. This isn’t just any app; it is a lifeline that places vital resources directly into the hands of those who need them most. While at home, patients can complete a check-in on the app to indicate their current level of emotional distress and any practical, physical, social, or spiritual concerns they are experiencing during their cancer journey. Then, based on their responses to the check-in, recommended community services and patient education materials are delivered digitally through the app, tailored to each patient’s unique needs, cancer type, and location. Later, patients can indicate in the app whether they received the services and if they have additional needs.
The app contains a comprehensive database of over 1200 trusted community-service organizations, ranging from transportation options to financial assistance programs. It also includes over 400 patient-oriented cancer and cancer treatment educational materials, such as symptoms, side effects, and coping strategies. Whether a patient prefers to use geolocation services or manually enter a zip code, the app adopts individual preferences while ensuring they find help close to home.
Notably, the patient-empowered approach is backed by direct assistance from a patient navigator to guide the coordination of care. Patients can use the app to contact the navigator whenever they need additional help. And when patients have physical or medical needs, the app helps them connect with their cancer care doctor via phone or their patient portal.
While patients use the app at home, back at the cancer center, patient navigators and social workers document patient concerns in the electronic health record (EHR) while monitoring in-app activity through a web-based navigation dashboard (Figure 1a). This dashboard allows staff to see each time a patient completes a check-in to report their needs, send additional recommendations to the patient for specific services, and check the status of their requested services. The team plans to integrate the dashboard within the existing EHR to further enhance coordination.
To make these tools effective in real-world settings, the program engaged a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the design and development of the app. Regular feedback from a patient advocate committee composed of patients, caregivers, and cancer advocacy organizations, as well as clinical collaborator committees that include clinicians, nurses, social workers, patient navigators, and clinic leaders, helped shape the app’s features. This shared approach helped to ensure the design was user-friendly and content was relevant. The team has also gathered feedback from individual patients testing the app. For example, patients said some of the services the app recommended after submitting a check-in did not seem relevant to them. In response, the team is adding follow-up questions about the specific type of services a patient needs to further personalize the recommendations. This user-centered design approach and the flexibility to make rapid updates to the app platform ensures that all patients and navigators can access the help they need.
“I think it’s a good app for people that may not know what’s available in their community. Also, it’s good for learning about available [national] resources outside of the community.” —C4 Patient User
The application is being piloted at the UK Markey Cancer Center and across 3 partner sites, including Saint Elizabeth Healthcare, Med Center Health, and Hazard Appalachian Regional Healthcare, with a goal to enroll a total of 300 patients. The sites were chosen because each facility provides care across a variety of patient populations (eg, urban, rural, and minoritized) within Kentucky and brings unique perspectives to the refinement of the app. As the C4 Program expands beyond the pilot cohorts at each site, ongoing feedback from patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers will lay the groundwork for future iterations.
Behind the screen, there are powerful stories of innovation driving impact. Early indications suggest that the app is already helping surface unmet needs, which navigators and community organizations then address directly. Take, for example, a patient who needed help paying utility bills during treatment. The patient navigator, alerted via the navigation dashboard that indicated a need for financial support, coordinated with community partners, gathered required documentation, and secured payments. Importantly, all of these actions were initiated before the utility service was interrupted, so the patient didn’t have to choose between paying utility bills or continuing their treatment.
This simple act prevented hardship and demonstrated how technology, paired with dedicated community resources, can make a tangible difference in a patient’s well-being.
Another patient used the app to find transportation options, ensuring they were able to make it to their cancer care appointments. In contrast, others have accessed emotional support services, nutritional assistance, or housing assistance. The barriers the C4 Program was able to overcome might otherwise have delayed treatments or gone unaddressed.
The innovative approach of the C4 Program offers a blueprint for other cancer centers and healthcare institutions. By establishing strong stakeholder partnerships, customizing digital tools to local contexts, and embedding community resources into care processes, this model promotes a more connected, patient-centered healthcare system (Figure 2).
In a world where technology often feels impersonal, the C4 Program demonstrates that thoughtful design and community collaboration can forge meaningful connections. As such, the app has the capacity to transform the cancer care journey from one of anxiety and barriers to one of hope, support, and resilience. When patients have tools tailored to their needs and a support system that listens, their journey becomes less overwhelming. The goal is for them to experience greater trust, increased engagement, and improved patient outcomes.
Keep up to date with the latest news from us via social networks:
To sign up for our print publication or e-newsletter, please enter your contact information below.
