Addressing Financial and Social Needs Among Patients With Cancer

Summary

Financial hardship and health-related social needs (e.g., insecurity about food, housing, transportation, utilities) are common among patients with cancer, resulting in health disparities in cancer outcomes. Our study will test the efficacy of a multicomponent financial navigation and counseling program delivered by a financial navigator (CostCOM), vs. direct patient access to financial education materials and comprehensive list of local resources in the absence of a financial navigator (FinEd) vs. practice usual care among newly diagnosed cancer patients who screen positive for financial hardship and social needs. Investigators anticipate that both CostCOM and FinEd compared to enhanced usual care will improve cost-related cancer care nonadherence, financial worry, health insurance literacy, quality of life and sleep quality and decrease number of missed appointments.

Conditions

• Cancer
• Financial Hardship

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

CostCOM (Cost Communication, Financial navigation and counseling)

Patients will receive two 1-hour, phone or video sessions with a remote financial counselor, each session will cover each of these 3 components of CostCOM. Out-of-pocket cost communication (OOPC): A review of insurance benefits and education of the patient-specific OOPC for anticipated treatment regimen if any (i.e., medication). The OOPC is provided as a total estimate and will be updated at 3-month session in case of changes in treatment or insurance. Financial navigation: Real-time professional guidance to identify financial assistance programs (e.g., co-pay, living expenses) that alleviate costs of care and discuss information to improve insurance coverage. Financial counseling: To address the range of patients' financial concerns and enroll patients in financial assistance programs.

BEHAVIORAL

Provision of local and national resources to address financial and social needs

Patients will be provided with a comprehensive list of local resources (in patients' preferred language) in Orange County that can help with food insecurity, ir transportation, as well as contact information for national non-profit organization where patients can self-refer for financial navigation (e.g., Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)

BEHAVIORAL

Financial Education

Patient will receive online and paper educational materials on topics such as health insurance and health insurance literacy, navigating hospitals' price estimator tool.

OTHER

Usual care

Patients in all arms will receive usual care, which includes routine oncology visits, use of available ancillary staff, and internal or external resources for co-pay assistance or free medication per normal clinic procedures.

OTHER

Screening for financial and social needs

Patients will be screened for financial hardship and health-related social risks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

  collaborator OTHER

• University of California, Irvine

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Gelareh Sadigh · University of California, Irvine

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-08-26

Primary Completion

2026-05-01

Completion

2026-12-01

Countries

• United States

Study Locations