Podcast explores how Jefferson Health is strengthening care access

In an American Hospital Association podcast, Jefferson Health President Baligh Yehia, MD, discusses how the health system is improving access to healthcare through same-day cancer care, virtual primary care, home-based services and expanded access to clinical trials. The Philadelphia-based health system offers virtual care, as well as evening and Saturday hours to make cancer diagnoses within 1.4 days and schedule earlier start dates for surgery and chemotherapy. Jefferson recently started a program to provide cancer screening in the emergency department. Virtual care accounts for 10% of primary care visits. In addition, Jefferson patients who live in suburban or rural areas can enroll in clinical trials based in Philadelphia or Allentown, Pa. Yehia urges leaders to solicit ideas for improving care from their front-line teams.