Navigating a cancer diagnosis, treatment and aftercare may be challenging, but many patients find using a mobile health app helps to simplify their cancer journey, every step of the way.
Apps are available for a wide variety of uses for cancer patients — helping them track test results, get information on current health issues, check the cost of medications, save on prescriptions and hospital bills, ease anxiety, promote mindfulness and even find support online, all in one place.
Vijay Trisal, M.D., system chief clinical officer at City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte and the Dr. Norman & Melinda Payson Professor in Medicine, says some apps may offer patients a great way to manage their health and health information.
“It depends on the ease of use and the quality of the data,” he says. “If the results and a summary of the discussion can be found easily without having to go through pages and pages, the apps can be very helpful and can prevent delays and keep the patient and the family informed.”
Here are some apps cancer patients say are among the best for helping them on their cancer journey, including:
- MyChart, used by about half of hospital systems in the U.S.
- ACS CARES, from the American Cancer Society
- GoodRx, designed to help patients save on prescriptions
- GoodBill, an app that shows how to save on hospital bills
- Insight Timer, which help patients with mindfulness
- Dare, featuring ways to manage panic attacks, anxiety and sleeplessness
- Medisafe, an app that helps patients remember when to take their medications
If you or a loved one is concerned about possible signs or symptoms of cancer and would like an initial appointment or a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-460-4673.
MyChart
This one-stop-shopping tool allows patients to download the app their provider uses to access the Epic platform, which is used by nearly half of hospitals nationwide.
MyChart’s features also give patients the ability to click through test results, view a summary of their medical conditions, see the medications they’ve been prescribed and track other care. It may also be used to request medical records, communicate with family and friends, share health information with their care provider and give authorization to their doctor to share medical records with other organizations and specialists, when necessary.
Dr. Trisal says MyChart is a helpful app for patients, and the Epic Haiku app is a great way for doctors to have access to patient data in the palm of their hands.
“For patients, it is MyChart, and for doctors, it is Haiku,” he says. “The Haiku app is a lifesaver for doctors and is a mobile medical record that is at our fingertips. I use it to keep track of patients and can connect with them with ease.”
Several members of City of Hope’s online community, Cancer Fighters, say they find the MyChart app to be very helpful in keeping them informed during their care.
“I love MyChart!” said one member.
ACS CARES
The ACS CARES app — short for Community Access to Resources, Education and Support — has been developed by the American Cancer Society (ACS) to deliver curated content, programs and services to fit patients’ specific cancer needs.
The ACS CARES mobile app provides people with cancer, their families and caregivers an easy, free way to:
- Access personalized, cancer-related information that updates as patients age, as their situation changes, or as new information becomes available
- Speak with ACS cancer information specialists day or night, 365 days a year
- Find reliable information on such important topics as emotional health, finances, transportation and support services
- Connect virtually with trained volunteers who share the same cancer experience and background, including diagnosis, location, military status, race and ethnicity
- Schedule in-person support from clinic volunteers at pilot locations
GoodRx
Cancer medication may be costly, even for patients on Medicare and Medicaid or who have comprehensive private insurance plans. And with prices, health costs and insurance premiums rising, studies show some patients simply forgo necessary or even life-saving treatments because they can’t afford them.
Enter GoodRx, a mobile app that provides discounts, coupons and other cost-saving ways to cut out-of-pocket expenses for people with cancer and other conditions.
In fact, Americans have saved over $85 billion on prescription medications with Good Rx, according to the company website, which provides a detailed list of drugs — including cancer medications — covered by the program.
GoodBill
Cancer treatments that require hospital care are among the costliest bills patients pay. To help, the GoodBill app helps identify how to save by using artificial intelligence (AI) to check hospital bills. The app may be used to flag overcharges and errors, identify discounts and help patients negotiate lower out-of-pocket costs.
Insight Timer
Getting a good night’s sleep while undergoing cancer treatment is a challenge for many patients. But, as they say, there’s an app for that. The Insight Timer app is designed to boost mindfulness, which may help improve sleep, reduce stress and calm the mind.
The app features a massive library of guided meditations, music, talks and a customizable meditation timer. While most content is accessible for free with an account, the app also offers an optional premium subscription (MemberPlus) for extra features like meditation and wellness courses.
Dare
Many cancer patients experience anxiety before, during and after treatment. Several members of City of Hope’s online community, Cancer Fighters, say apps have helped them deal with this particular challenge in a meaningful way.
One Cancer Fighters member said the Dare app was especially useful in helping her overcome her anxiety, manage panic attacks, worry and insomnia by tracking her moods in a journal.
“We know that cancer is an emotional and mental roller coaster, and this app has helped,” she said.
Medisafe
The average American aged 65 and older takes at least four prescription drugs daily — twice as many as 40 years ago, not including over-the-counter (OTC) medications, vitamins and herbal supplements, according to one study. When you add cancer medications to the mix, it may be difficult to keep track of when and which drugs to take to stay healthy.
The makers of the Medisafe app designed it to solve that concern by helping patients keep track of their medications and measurements. The app helps people remember when to take each medication, simplifying complicating dosing schedules for prescribed medications as well as OTC drugs taken as needed.
The app can also be used to track medications and schedules for other family members. Medisafe’s Medfriend feature delivers an alert when a friend or loved one has missed a dose, making it particularly useful for caregivers to help patients stay on track.
Simon Nazarian, City of Hope chief digital and technology officer and system executive vice president, says new health care technologies, including the use of AI and apps, are helping patients become more involved in their care while also allowing doctors to deliver more personal, precision-based care.
“New health care technologies, including AI, are helping patients move through care journeys with less friction,” he says. “At City of Hope, one way we use AI is to handle administrative work and synthesize medical records behind the scenes. This reduces the need for patients to repeatedly answer the same questions about their history and gives clinicians more time for the high touch conversations that matter most.”
Dr. Trisal adds that while existing apps may be helpful for patients and doctors, new developments in medical technology may bring welcome improvements in the years ahead.
“We need the technology to get better, the process to be easy and the benefit of AI to summarize patient health data with focus,” he says.
If you or a loved one is concerned about possible signs or symptoms of cancer and would like an initial appointment or a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-460-4673.