Mark Hirschhorn is a seasoned executive with many years of experience in leadership positions, including roles as executive vice president, chief financial officer, and CEO. He has managed over 50 acquisitions in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia, and has overseen finance, treasury, and investor relations for four multinational public companies. Since January 2022, Hirschhorn has served as the CEO of TapestryHealth, where he has focused on scaling the company through expansion and diversification of business operations, with a particular emphasis on telehealth and in-home care.
Tele-video visits not only offer cancer patients a convenient alternative to in-person visits with their healthcare providers, but they also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a new study has found.
According to the study, which was recently published in JAMA Oncology, carbon dioxide emissions generated due to cancer care could be reduced by 33% nationwide by conducting all cancer care visits online via tele-video when an in-person visit is not necessary. Patients could have blood tests and other medical procedures performed at healthcare facilities located in close proximity to where they live.
Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
As telehealth and decentralized oncology services provide a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, this approach could potentially benefit both human health and the health of our planet in the long term, said Dr Andrew Hantel, an oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the lead author of the study.
According to an earlier study, the healthcare industry contributed 8.5% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in 2018. Healthcare practitioners, who are increasingly beginning to understand that the climate crisis is also a healthcare crisis, are starting to implement measures to reduce their carbon footprint. These measures include reducing operating room waste, opting for more environmentally friendly inhalers for asthma patients, and generally spreading awareness among the medical community about the need to adopt environmentally sound practices, generate less waste, and operate more sustainably.
Oncology appointments transition to video and phone consultations
The study encompassed nearly 124,000 patients receiving cancer treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and its satellite locations across five states in New England from May 2015 to December 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, numerous oncology appointments shifted to video and phone consultations. Researchers estimated that this shift led to an 81% reduction in CO2 emissions, attributed to fewer miles driven, reduced consumption of hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and similar items, together with less medical waste being generated.
The researchers then estimated what the potential greenhouse gas emission levels would have been prior to the pandemic if telemedicine had been implemented and extrapolated these findings to the entire U.S. population. They concluded that utilizing telehealth and clinics closer to patients’ homes for oncology care could prevent one-third of the greenhouse gas emissions generated.
Before the pandemic, it was assumed that oncology required in-person tests and procedures, limiting the feasibility of using telemedicine. But that all changed when the COVID pandemic introduced precautionary social distancing, which ultimately proved that certain parts of oncology care could be offered remotely or performed closer to patients’ homes, Hantel explained.
Hantel recognized that telehealth isn’t ideal for everyone, as evidenced during the pandemic. However, he questioned whether the advantages of reduced emissions and other potential benefits for patients might outweigh some of the drawbacks. He emphasized that every small action we take to combat climate change has a significant impact.
A new study is a ‘fantastic eye-opener’
Dr. Nithya Ramnath, a professor of medicine at the University of Michigan and oncology chief at the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Healthcare System, remarked that the new study is a fantastic eye-opener, highlighting the significant role of the healthcare industry as a major emitter of greenhouse gases.
As a society, we need to consider all factors impacting the climate, and the healthcare system should not be exempt from this scrutiny, said Ramnath, who did not participate in the study.
Ramnath noted that while some of her patients, particularly those less familiar with technology, prefer in-person visits, many appreciate the convenience of connecting via video from their homes.
“I get to meet their partners, their pets, and have a pleasant casual chat with them,” Ramnath said.
Video appointments save time for cancer patients
In the study, the median distance traveled by patients from Dana-Farber was 7.1 miles, while the national average in the U.S. was 8.9 miles. However, Ramnath’s patients frequently drive up to 50 miles to visit her at her Ann Arbor office. Video appointments not only save time for cancer patients and in some cases their caregivers by eliminating the need for travel, but also reduce associated travel expenses and childcare costs. Additionally, advancements like remote patient monitoring enhance care by allowing oncologists to track patients’ progress between visits, providing timely interventions without the need for in-person consultations.
Telehealth also enables oncologists like Ramnath to reduce the waiting period for new patients who may be anxious to discuss their treatment options following their cancer diagnosis.
Ramnath has also been exploring alternative methods through which oncology can decrease its greenhouse gas emissions. In a recent study featured in The Lancet Oncology, Ramnath and her team discovered that by administering immunotherapy every six weeks instead of every three weeks, they could reduce related carbon dioxide emissions by 24%.
A positive contribution to the climate
Instinctively, one might wonder how tweaking a patient’s medication could lead to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions? However, it’s because everything associated with that medication from the infrastructure like buildings and air conditioning to the time spent by nursing staff, the production of vials, the use of injectable materials and medical equipment, and the inevitable paperwork—all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, Ramnath explains.
By reducing the number of in-patient visits, extending the time between immunotherapy visits, and/or offering telehealth services, oncologists can make a positive contribution to the climate without compromising their patients’ health.
