If you or a loved one requires specialized cancer treatment that is not available locally, traveling to a distant medical facility may be necessary. While seeking life-saving care away from home can be challenging, thorough preparation and understanding of what to expect can help streamline the process.
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Choosing a Treatment Facility
It is critical to consult carefully with your oncologist and other members of your care team on the best cancer treatment facilities for your specific diagnosis, stage, and needs. Often, the most state-of-the-art interventions, latest clinical trials, and top specialists are located at major cancer hospitals and institutes, which may require traveling out-of-state.
Do your research on the reputation of the facility under consideration, their success statistics, types of accreditation, and any patient satisfaction data that is available online or through your care providers. Accreditations by organizations such as the Joint Commission can serve as useful indicators that a facility adheres to high clinical standards and delivers safe, quality care.
Also, look at practical factors such as the distance from your home, availability of discounted lodging partnerships, and ease of airport access if flying is required.
Travel Logistics
Once a travel destination and date range is set, book transportation and lodging as far in advance as possible to secure the best rates on flights, hotels, short-term housing rentals, and car rentals if needed. Nonstop flights reduce stress and delays. Services like Airbnb can offer home, apartment, or condo rentals at a lower cost than extended hotel stays. Schedule transportation to and from the airport ahead of time through commercial airport shuttle services, the treatment facility if they offer a pickup program, or friends/family willing to drive you.
Understand what travel expenses may be covered by your health insurance, such as medical transport services. For example, you may want to look at whether non-emergency med flights with a RN are covered.
Coordinating Your Medical Care
Be sure to inform all providers and specialists involved in your care of the exact dates you will be traveling and absent from home. Make arrangements for continuity of medical care with your primary provider and any specialists if follow-ups or new issues arise while you are away. Have recent medical records transferred ahead of time as well. Bring copies of key information like referrals, medical history summary, latest lab and scan results, and a comprehensive medication list including doses and prescribing doctor.
Identify nearby pharmacies, urgent care clinics, and emergency rooms you could visit in the destination city if any health needs or medication refills come up outside of the treatment facility’s operating hours. Share this emergency health services information with any companions traveling with you. Have as many appointments and procedures pre-scheduled as possible before departing to avoid delays in starting treatment promptly upon arrival. Finally, obtain extra supplies of your prescription medications in case travel delays occur on the return home. Always keep medications in their original bottles inside carry-on luggage rather than checked bags.
Accommodations and Support
If you will be staying for an extended period of treatment such as several weeks of radiation therapy, look into lodging discounts and even free housing provided through the treatment facility or nonprofits like Hope Lodge that support patients traveling for cancer care. Identify what types of emotional, psychological, and social support services are available through the facility, such as support groups, counseling, stress management classes, palliative care specialists, or complementary therapies like massage, acupuncture, or spiritual resources.
There are also wonderful online communities related to your cancer diagnosis, treatment type, travel challenges, or destination city where connecting with others in similar situations can provide information and encouragement. Avoid isolation when you are far from home.
Staying Organized
Make use of calendars, detailed checklists, and organization apps to manage your treatment appointments, travel schedules and logistics, accommodations, and medication management from pre-planning through your return home. Create a dedicated binder or notebook you can reference containing insurance paperwork, medical history, emergency contacts for your care team back home and at the treatment destination, pharmacy details, lists of what to pack, daily schedule, etc.
Pack a separate medical bag containing supplies frequently needed, like hand sanitizer, digital thermometer, compression socks, ice packs for pain, moisturizer for dry skin, etc. Use journals and mobile apps to track questions, side effects, foods, sleep, energy levels, and more so your medical team understands your real-time status.
Pursuing cancer treatment that requires significant travel adds complexity. But with this guide, you can pave the way for safe, effective medical travel.
