Telehealth for cancer care access and coordination
Official title: Access, Utilization and Outcomes of Cancer Services in the Era of Telemedicine
Funded at Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah · NIH-11266221 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how telemedicine affects access, use, and outcomes of cancer care for people—especially those in rural areas—so they can get specialist care without long travel.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $359,620 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA267990-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11266221 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people in the United States with a cancer diagnosis—particularly older adults on Medicare and those living in rural or underserved areas who have used or may use telehealth.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without reliable internet or phone access, those who need hands-on procedures (like surgery or infusions), or people outside the U.S. may not receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze large U.S. health datasets, including Medicare claims and cancer registries, to see who used telehealth and how often. They will compare rural and urban patients and link telehealth use with treatment patterns, clinical trial participation, and symptom management. The team will map travel times and provider availability to understand geographic gaps and measure how telehealth influences coordination across multiple cancer specialists. Results will be used to suggest practical ways to improve telemedicine delivery and how access to cancer care is measured.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help more people access cancer specialists without long travel, improve treatment adherence and symptom care, and inform better telemedicine policies.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier work showed telehealth greatly increased access during the COVID-19 pandemic, but evidence is mixed on whether it leads to better long-term cancer outcomes or care coordination.
Where this research is happening
-
Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
Salt Lake City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Onega, Tracy — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Onega, Tracy
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.