New Jersey health care system AtlantiCare’s Lung Nodule Clinic previously relied entirely on other health care providers to refer patients for evaluation.
THE PROBLEM
This meant that the referring healthcare provider had to recognize that the lump was important, explain its importance to the patient and then refer to the appropriate clinic in a timely manner. Healthcare providers who do not often deal with pulmonary nodules on a daily basis may be unaware of the resources that exist for a patient dealing with a pulmonary nodule, or may make the wrong decision about the best next step for the patient.
By reaching patients who have not yet seen a pulmonologist, and then ensuring they are aware of their lung nodule and have a plan, AtlantiCare can identify lung cancer in its earliest stages and work toward a cure for that person.
PROPOSAL
How? AtlantiCare implemented an artificial intelligence-enabled detection system, which it calls a virtual clinic. Vendor Optellum’s AI system allows the Lung Nodule Clinic to identify patients in the community with affected nodules and contact them directly to ensure they have someone capable of dealing with their lung nodule.
“The ‘virtual clinic’ can identify patients, help stratify the risks of the lump in question and allow us to maintain the plan for each patient,” says Dr. Amit Borah, interventional pulmonologist at AtlantiCare. “Some patients do not need an immediate biopsy, surgery or treatment, but rather a repeat CT scan in a few weeks or months.
“The interventional lung disease team is quickly contacting pulmonologists and primary care providers in the area and informing them that we are using the technology to detect lung cancer at the earliest possible stage.”
Dr. Amit Borah, AtlanticCare
“The virtual clinic gives us a way to keep track of each of these scans and ensure patients don’t fall through the cracks.”
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
As patients are identified by the artificial intelligence program, staff recognizes a number of worrying lumps that are common in the community.
“The interventional lung disease team quickly contacts the pulmonologists and primary care providers in the area and informs them that we are using the technology to detect lung cancer at the earliest possible stage,” Borah explains.
The technology is primarily managed by Sarah Dean, NP, a thoracic surgery nurse practitioner. She enrolls patients in the virtual pulmonary nodule clinic, contacts patients directly and coordinates care with established providers.
RESULTS
“We have found an additional 80 patients with severe lung nodules since the start of the program,” Borah reported. “This has led to an increase in the number of biopsies performed and a possible decrease in the time it takes to move from detection of the lump to diagnosis and treatment.”
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