Announcing the the launch of Thyme Care, a company dedicated to creating a better cancer journey for all.
For over 14 years, I’ve worked in oncology supporting the mission to bring high-value care into the community–meeting patients and caregivers where they are and listening to what they need. I had the opportunity to work within the clinic setting at a community cancer center started by my father, then leveraged real-world cancer data to provide technology and solutions to oncologists alongside the team at Flatiron Health, and most recently helped launch a community oncology network, OneOncology. While I believe making cancer care more accessible for more people is paramount to improving patients’ lives and outcomes, my experiences have exposed me to a bigger issue that affects nearly every individual who’s been close to cancer: the vulnerability and confusion that accompanies a cancer diagnosis.
I regularly receive calls, texts, and emails from friends (or a friend of a friend) reaching out because a loved one was recently told by their doctor that they might have cancer. All of them have the same question: “What do I do now?”
In that moment of raw fear, people are urgently looking for guidance, reassurance, and answers from an “insider.”
A little over a year ago, I got a call from my childhood best friend telling me that his mother was just notified that she had pancreatic cancer and that she needed to see an oncologist. Unsure of what to do, they scrambled to get an appointment, only to find out that the next available was four weeks away. Four weeks? Anyone who has been impacted by cancer understands how imperative it is to receive timely answers—and also the emotional toll this process takes.
So I became the “insider” they needed: I immediately reached out to my network and within 48 hours she saw an oncologist, got answers, and was ready to start treatment. I'm thankful I could help, but it was so disturbing to think that if they hadn't known me, my friend and his mother would have been stuck waiting a month to get answers.
I started talking about this issue more with my colleagues and friends working in oncology, and realized I wasn’t alone—we are all receiving these calls multiple times a month. People are desperate for someone who will candidly tell them the score: what to do, where to go, how to get there; what this symptom, this medication, or those terms mean. There had to be a better way. And I had to help.
We’ve put together an amazing team that includes my friend and former colleague Dr. Bobby Green as our President and Chief Medical Officer. Bobby is a longstanding leader in community oncology and digital health, coming to us by way of Flatiron Health where he was Chief Medical Officer. Our team has extensive oncology, healthcare, and technology experience, coming from the likes of Flatiron Health, Sarah Cannon, Amazon, BCBS, CareBridge, Stanford Medicine, Galileo Health, Healthify, Florida Cancer Specialists and American Oncology Network.
It’s not surprising that only 12% of Americans have the skills necessary to successfully navigate our complex healthcare system. Combine that with a cancer diagnosis and a trusted healthcare “insider” becomes critical. Thyme Care is that trusted insider. We are guiding cancer patients through a complex healthcare system by providing personalized support, quality resources, and quick access to high-value care.
We are working within existing systems and challenging areas where change is a must, creating a new platform that treats people as the priority, and connects provider, payer, and patient every step of the way.
Our approach has three key parts:
Dedicated Care Team of nurses and care partners (clinical and non-clinical) who engage early and often to help each individual navigate the system, creating an experience that feels personal, modern, and empowering
Data-Driven Insights including health analytics and predictive capabilities for early intervention
High-Value Aligned Network of oncology practices that recognize the need for immediate access to care, and have a focus on value-based delivery and ongoing quality care assessments
It’s time to set a new standard in cancer care—one that provides every individual living with cancer access to education about their diagnosis, the best place to get care, how to be seen immediately, and how to get the ongoing support they need every step of the way, from a team that knows them and the system.
We chose the name Thyme because the herb represents deep friendship and devotion, a commitment to being there for the ones you love. Our name reflects our promise: our devotion, every day, to everyone affected by cancer.
If our mission resonates with you, take a look at our careers page. We’re hiring for a range of roles, and we’d love to have like-minded, passionate people join our team.
We’ll have some big announcements coming later this summer. In the meantime, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
This is an exciting time. We are thrilled to be embarking on this journey of providing “insider” support to as many people as possible, and transforming the cancer experience, patient by patient.
Stay tuned for more,
Robin