Characterizing after-hours hematology/oncology clinic calls.

Background: After-hour calls can be resource intensive and remain a significant challenge to medical practices, though they have historically been poorly or non-reimbursable services. This study reviews after-hour calls from hematology/oncology patients at a cancer center to characterize after-hour care needs, identify care gaps, and look for opportunities to improve outpatient healthcare delivery.

Methods: This descriptive, retrospective Institutional Review Board-approved study analyzed patient calls between June 2015 to February 2021 in an academic hematology/oncology practice. Data from 500 calls were reviewed and cataloged into a database including patient demographics, clinical history, and information surrounding the call (e.g., primary reason for the call, outcome of the call). Calls were also categorized as being urgent or not from a patient or provider's perspective.

Results: Among 500 calls, representing 398 unique patients, the average patient was 62 years old and 52% of calls were from females. Most calls were made to report symptoms (65%), followed by calls to follow-up on labs, tests, or imaging (13%), and clarifying treatment plans (10%). Oncology patients represented 67% of calls and hematology (malignant and benign) patients represented 33%. More specifically, patients with gastrointestinal cancer (25%), hematologic malignancies (24%), and thoracic cancer (13%) represented the diagnoses with the highest call volume.

Conclusions: This study explores the complexity and variety of after-hour cancer patient calls. By systematically exploring patient calls, this data can provide insight into patients' needs outside of regular clinic times and help practices develop strategies to anticipate these needs, reduce after-hour call burden, and improve overall quality of care.