Baltimore-based MedStar Health is launching a pilot program with Reimagine Care to connect with cancer patients around the clock.
Reimagine Care will provide 24/7/365 support to MedStar patients with cancer, including remote monitoring of vital signs and instant access to professional consultation and medical advice as patients navigate the condition, and become an extension of the care they receive from their oncologist.
Cancer is a unique chronic condition that has both an acute and chronic component, Reimagine Care CEO Dan Nardi told Fierce Healthcare in an interview. The ability to understand symptoms in the context of a new diagnosis is particularly critical, Nardi said.
In the absence of being able to reach their oncologist, patients have limited options to understand their symptoms. Calling into a clinic often results in a 24- to 72-hour delay in response.
Through Reimagine Care’s technology and on-demand access to providers, patients can access critical knowledge about their conditions without having to wait for a convenient time of day to call a clinic or visit the emergency department.
Patients can chat with an AI-based virtual assistant, Remi, at any time of day. Remi can answer patients’ questions and decide when to elevate the issue to a human expert.
Once out of the acute treatment phase of cancer, Reimagine Care's virtual platform can help keep patients engaged in their care and flag any issues.
MedStar, a 10-hospital nonprofit system, is running a yearlong pilot with Reimagine Care tracking patient and provider satisfaction, escalation rate and resolution rate. The pilot will test the solution with 200 patients in one MedStar location.
Reimagine Care integrates directly with the care organization’s electronic health record system so patient interactions are transferred to the patient’s file and seen by their oncologist.
"We are pleased to incorporate Reimagine Care into our navigation services for cancer patients,” Mahsa Mohebtash, M.D., medical director of MedStar Health Community Oncology, said in a statement. “We hope this pilot project successfully meets our goals to ensure patients have the most fluid access and continuity of care, and opens the door to explore opportunities for future collaboration.”
Without a technology partner, it’s hard for cancer care centers to provide ongoing support to patients outside of the clinic setting. Nardi said Reimagine Care is the first company to focus on supporting patients through their cancer care journey with on-demand technology.
“Their capacity is still going to be constrained by their ability to hire people and put them on a phone line and train them,” Nardi said. “That’s not going to scale.” He cited workforce burnout as a constraint of using humans for triage.
Cancer care solutions that are selling to payers lack connection with patients and providers, he said; and, they introduce a new name and solution to the patient in the midst of handling the disease. Reimagine Care is an extension of the provider and its brand.
“What MedStar is excited for is the opportunity for us to come and deliver a core program that has proven results, and get this up and running to support them,” Nardi said. “I mean, just like a lot of health systems across the country, they're certainly not immune to the staffing challenges across the nursing, [medical assistant] and even provider landscaping. So solutions like this will really help them scale and free up their team to work top of license and support the patients there in front of them.”
Reimagine Care also has an eye toward the patient experience of cancer. Cancer is an expensive condition, and nearly half of cancer patients and survivors surveyed by the American Cancer Society in 2024 (47%) have had medical debt related to their cancer.
Reimagine Care said it's focused on health equity in cancer care by democratizing access to oncology support to all patients, regardless of their financial means or proximity to in person care. Its messaging capabilities only require basic SMS messaging and do not require patients to download an app.
“Any phone that does texting is able to enroll in this program, and almost everyone has a phone right now, and so there's no apps,” Nardi said. “You don't have to worry about versioning, passwords, any of that other stuff. You don't have to worry about any additional technology literacy.”
He continued: “Being able to connect [patients] with humans within minutes… it levels that playing field, if you will, for anyone and everyone that's going through to cancer treatment.”