New AccessHope Research Reveals Remote Cancer Expertise Can Significantly Impact Treatment Plans for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Non-Urban Patients

New AccessHope Research Reveals Remote Cancer Expertise Can Significantly Impact Treatment Plans for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Non-Urban Patients

• A population-based study of over 5,000 cases reveals that patients with cancer living in disadvantaged and rural areas are more likely to receive recommendations for care plan changes through expert review
• Research to be presented at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium on October 11
  
  

DUARTE, Calif. – October 8, 2025 – AccessHope, LLC, a company changing the way leading-edge cancer expertise is delivered, this week will unveil new research that demonstrates how remote expert oncology opinions can meaningfully bridge socioeconomic and geographic barriers to facilitate optimal cancer care. In a poster presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium on October 11, at 7 a.m. CST, AccessHope will demonstrate how expert oncology opinions can influence cancer care, especially for patients living in communities facing socioeconomic or geographic barriers.

“Findings affirm a powerful truth: Expert oncology insights shouldn’t be confined by income or zip code. Remote expertise has the power to transform cancer care nationwide, equipping clinicians everywhere, regardless of their patients’ socioeconomic status or location, with the guidance and knowledge they need to deliver world-class care,” said Debra Wong, MD, lead author of the study and vice president, Development and Integration, Clinical Strategy and medical director for AccessHope. “Expert case reviews are not just bridging gaps, they are dismantling long-standing barriers so that quality care becomes a standard, not a privilege.”

Analyzing 5,137 patient cases from all 50 states, the researchers found that remote expert opinions recommended changes in cancer treatment more than half the time. Moreover, recommendations were disproportionate. Patients in socioeconomically disadvantaged and non-urban areas were more likely to receive recommendations for changes in care than those in the least disadvantaged, urban regions.

Key findings included:

• Expert opinions recommended various changes in care to optimize outcomes in a significant proportion of cases: Across the entire study population, changes in cancer treatment were recommended in 52% of expert opinions, and changes in supportive care were recommended in over a third.
  
  
• The impact of remote expert opinions was more pronounced for patients in socioeconomically disadvantaged and non-urban areas: Patients living in these regions had significantly higher odds – 25% greater – of receiving recommendations for changes in cancer treatment.
  
  
• Persistent gaps in supportive care also exist: Patients in non-urban areas also had 33% higher odds of receiving recommendations for changes in supportive care compared to their urban counterparts, potentially reflecting geographic differences in access to resources for comprehensive care.

AccessHope’s peer-reviewed research will be published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Oncology Practice later this year and provides the basis for further study of the effects of remote oncology opinions on care delivery and patient outcomes, particularly in areas where geographic or socioeconomic barriers to cancer expertise exist.

Study Methodology

AccessHope, a network of National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers, provides remote expert oncology opinions as a supplemental benefit to payers and employer self-funded plans. In a retrospective analysis of 5,137 expert case reviews provided between January 2020 and December 2024, evidence-based expert recommendations were evaluated, and any differences were noted between recommendations offered for patients facing socioeconomic and geographic barriers compared with those in less disadvantaged and urban regions. Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was used as a measure of patient socioeconomic status, categorized into three groups: least, medium and most disadvantaged; and Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes were used to represent patient residence (urban vs. non-urban). Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between recommended changes in care, ADI and RUCA, while adjusting for age and gender.

About AccessHope

AccessHope, LLC, believes in putting the ever-growing body of cancer knowledge to work for the greater good. The company delivers a revolutionary cancer benefit that is changing the way leading-edge expertise is delivered. Through collaborations with City of Hope, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Northwestern Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, and UT Southwestern Medical Center and its Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, AccessHope shares the latest discoveries in cancer care with employees’ plans and local oncologists to help as they develop precise plans for treatment. The company brings the vast expertise of major medical centers to benefit people near and far. They never have to switch doctors. They never have to leave home. An organization founded by City of Hope, AccessHope offers the benefit to approximately nine million members through more than 700 employers, including over 70 Fortune 500 companies. For more information about AccessHope, visit myaccesshope.org and follow us on LinkedIn and X.