Integrating specialized modules within electronic health records (EHRs) has become essential to improving patient care and enhancing operational efficiencies. The Oncology module for MEDITECH Expanse meets the unique needs of oncology care in several ways: medication management, clinical decision support, personalized treatment, streamlined documentation, and data sharing.
Let’s take a closer look at why health systems should consider implementing Expanse Oncology and how it impacts oncology pharmacy, patient safety, and treatment outcomes. Consider a few real-world examples that can help you envision the value to healthcare providers and patients and how implementing the Oncology application could help modernize your oncology care.
1. Enhanced Medication Management and Safety
Oncology medication management is notably complex due to the wide range of chemotherapies, immunotherapies, targeted therapies, and supportive medications involved in treatment regimens. MEDITECH Expanse Oncology includes features that help ensure a safer, more accurate medication process and support the management of chemotherapy treatment plans, drug-drug interaction alerts, dose adjustments for renal and hepatic impairments, and documentation of adverse events.
Key feature: Built-in dose calculators for chemotherapy drugs.
Built-in dose calculators for chemotherapy drugs automatically adjust for patient-specific factors such as body surface area (BSA) or creatinine clearance, significantly reducing the risk of dosing errors. This feature is particularly critical in pediatric or geriatric populations, where dosing requirements often differ from standard protocols.
2. Improved Clinical Decision Support
Pharmacists and other oncology professionals play an essential role in assisting oncologists with evidence-based treatment decisions. Expanse Oncology module is equipped with advanced clinical decision support tools that provide clinicians with up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines, helping them select the most appropriate therapies for patients. These tools integrate treatment protocols, clinical guidelines, and real-time clinical data—all within a single platform.
Key feature: Clinical database integration
One of the standout features of Expanse Oncology is its integration with reputable clinical databases such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. This ensures that oncology professionals always have access to the latest treatment protocols when making decisions. Furthermore, the system includes decision support for chemotherapy drug regimens, optimizing therapy selection based on the patient’s clinical profile, including tumor type, genetic markers, and overall health.
Real-world example
For example, a pharmacist at a cancer treatment center using Expanse Oncology identified a contraindicated drug combination for a patient undergoing a new chemotherapy regimen. The system flagged the interaction, prompting the care team to reevaluate the treatment plan. Such real-time, evidence-based alerts enhance patient safety and improve therapeutic outcomes by preventing adverse drug reactions.
Key feature: Dose adjustments
Additionally, the Oncology module helps with dose adjustments based on a patient’s clinical status, including renal or liver function. This ensures that oncologists and pharmacists can provide more tailored treatments that minimize toxicity while maximizing the efficacy of the medications.
3. Personalized Cancer Treatment
Personalized treatment plans take into consideration each patient’s unique genetic, environmental, and clinical factors. Expanse Oncology supports this significant advancement in oncology care by integrating genomic testing results and other patient-specific data into the treatment process and supporting multidisciplinary tumor boards.
Key feature: Genetic biomarkers
Oncology professionals can take advantage of the integration of genetic biomarkers into clinical decision-making.
Real world example
For example, care providers have integrated information at their fingertips for genetic markers such as HER2 status for breast cancer, BRAF mutations for melanoma, and other genetic profiles that help guide therapy selection. With this integration, oncologists and pharmacists can choose therapies that are more likely to be effective based on the patient’s specific genetic makeup. These factors work toward treatment success and minimizing unnecessary side effects.
Key feature: Integrated genomic data
The integration of genomic data into Expanse Oncology benefits oncology teams and patients in several ways:
Personalized treatment regimens
More precise therapy selection
Better treatment outcomes
Reduces the use of ineffective or unnecessary treatments, which leads to cost savings overall
Key feature: Multidisciplinary tumor boards
In addition to genomic data, Expanse Oncology supports multidisciplinary tumor boards, which allow teams of oncologists, pharmacists, and other specialists to review and adjust treatment plans collaboratively. Access to the latest clinical evidence and patient characteristics helps them personalized cancer care, tailoring treatment in an evidence-based way to meet the individual patient’s needs.
4. Streamlined Documentation and Reporting
Accurate and comprehensive documentation is critical in oncology, especially when managing chemotherapy cycles, monitoring side effects, and tracking patient progress over time. Expanse Oncology enhances the documentation process, improving clinical workflows and facilitating the tracking of treatment outcomes.
Key feature: Centralized documentation
The system provides a centralized platform where oncologists, pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals can document chemotherapy orders, administration, side effects, and follow-up care. This centralized approach reduces the need for redundant data entry across multiple systems, while also improving data accuracy.
5. Data Sharing and Interoperability
Oncology care often involves multiple specialists and healthcare institutions, making secure and efficient data sharing essential for continuity of care.
Key feature: Interoperability
Expanse Oncology supports interoperability so that patient data can be shared securely between institutions. Interoperability facilitates care coordination by allowing oncologists, pharmacists, radiologists, and other specialists to access the most up-to-date clinical information no matter where the patient is receiving care.
Real world example: Care coordination
For example, when a patient is referred to another facility for further treatment or a second opinion, their chemotherapy history, lab results, and genetic testing data can be seamlessly shared with the receiving institution. When care coordination improves so does patient experience and likely outcomes because patients are spared duplicate tests, and the receiving healthcare team has the patient history in order to make well-informed decisions quickly.
Considerations and next steps
Expanse Oncology is a comprehensive, specialized module that can help healthcare providers advance the delivery of cancer care and help patients receive the personalized cancer treatment they deserve.
