Blog

By Chris Cashwell, CEO and founder of Azra AI

One of the many responsibilities of oncology service line leaders is ensuring patient care is coordinated and executed for optimal outcomes. But those in cancer care know that far too many patients inevitably “fall through the cracks,” meaning some patients do not complete next steps of care or they are not followed up with on incidental findings in a timely manner. Patients’ failure to carry out necessary healthcare visits may be impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH) inequities, communication challenges, or other patient-centric barriers. Often, the healthcare system presents challenges in tracking and initiating the scheduling of recommended follow-up exams or treatments. These lapses lead to later-stage cancer diagnoses and poorer outcomes.