Homecare nurses face unique challenges in caring for patients with cancer

Oncology care is going home. The changes in health care that have occurred during the past decade have significantly impacted the growth of home care. Factors that have contributed to this growth include prospective payments for hospital services to Medicare patients leading to a decreased length of stay, advances in the development of equipment for providing high-tech treatments in the home, changes in reimbursement from fee-for-service to managed care and capitation, an aging population, and improved survival rates for patients with chronic illnesses, including cancer.