Same-day, in-home urgent care now available to cancer patients

People being treated at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center are the latest UC Davis Health patients to benefit from urgent care delivered to their home. As of this month, they can receive urgent medical care from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., 365 days per year.

The patients will be seen for issues such as nausea, vomiting, fever, wound checks and pain.

UC Davis Health has partnered with  DispatchHealth, the nation’s first comprehensive in-home medical care provider, to roll out the new program. A vehicle displaying the logos of both organizations, and equipped with a mobile lab for blood tests, will show up at residences by appointment.

The urgent care at home program was initially offered to the UC Davis Health primary care patients last year. It is designed to improve access to care, deliver a better patient experience, lessen unnecessary emergency department visits and reduce hospital readmissions.

“We are pleased to offer this human-centered care to our patients undergoing treatments for cancer,” said David Tom Cooke, interim physician-in-chief of UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We are essentially going back to the future by providing house calls to our patients, making it less stressful, more convenient and faster to get relief from their symptoms — all while leveraging the latest technology to ensure they are getting the best possible outcome, and avoiding the emergency department.”

We are pleased to offer this human-centered care to our patients undergoing treatments for cancer.”—David Tom Cooke, Interim physician-in-chief, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

DispatchHealth will assign two vehicles within a 25-mile radius of UC Davis Medical Center . Care will be furnished by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, as well as a trained medical technician. A board-certified emergency department physician is available virtually, as needed, by the on-site care team at the patient’s home.

“The Urgent Medical Care At-Home program is designed to be a pillar of support for patients during their times of sickness and vulnerability,” said Vimal Mishra, the head of digital care at UC Davis Health. “This innovative initiative brings compassionate care directly to patients' homes, sparing them from lengthy emergency room waits. It is a testament to the collaborative efforts between our innovation technology, ambulatory operations and care delivery teams. They have seamlessly integrated technology to create a digitally enabled care experience that not only enhances patient care but also streamlines health care delivery.”

UC Davis Health patients can request access to the new at-home urgent care by contacting their oncologist, primary care provider, advice nurse or UC Davis Health's Express Care.

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