Major Program
Supportive Care and Symptom Management
Sponsor
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Status
Not yet recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
For more information, see ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06771739
This clinical trial studies whether an unrestricted cash payment program can be used to improve financial and clinical outcomes in early-stage cancer patients with financial concerns. A cancer diagnosis can have poor financial outcomes, and the cost of cancer treatment can lead to high medical debt and financial hardships for the patient and family. Financial hardship during cancer treatment is associated with adverse outcomes including poorer quality of life, lower treatment compliance, more aggressive use of hospital-based care, and worse survival. Newly diagnosed cancer patients with financial concerns may avoid treatment entirely so that they can continue to work and maintain income, provide for their families, or pay rent. An unrestricted cash payment program provides patients with a preloaded cash card once monthly. The patients can choose what to use the card to pay for and may include items like food, rent, or utilities. This provides a period of guaranteed income for the patients and may prevent them from falling into poverty and improve financial and clinical outcomes.
Intervention
Electronic Health Record Review, Interview, Support, Survey Administration
Condition
Malignant Solid Neoplasm
Investigators
Veena Shankaran, MD, Rebecca Crompton