Whole-person cancer care: building a connected, compassionate experience

Cancer care grows more complex every year. Treatment plans, testing schedules, insurance rules, and daily life pressures can overwhelm people and their families. Many feel alone between visits, unsure whom to call when symptoms change or when basic needs like food, transportation, or childcare become unstable. Those gaps create avoidable stress and complications.

Whole-person cancer care offers a different path. Clinical guidance, practical help, and emotional support come together in one coordinated experience. Instead of focusing only on a diagnosis or treatment protocol, the model recognizes that cancer reaches into every part of a person’s life.

At Thyme Care, oncology-trained nurses, nurse practitioners, complex care nurses, care partners, medical directors and social workers surround each person with support that reflects this reality. The Care Team works alongside oncologists and primary care practices to help people stay informed, prepared, and connected, from the first scan through survivorship or end-of-life care.

“As Director of Social Work, I help lead how we support people beyond their medical needs—things like their homes, families, communities, emotional well-being, finances, and practical day-to-day survival. Cancer affects the entire ecosystem of a person’s life, and my team makes sure we see and care for all of it.”

— Stephanie Broussard, Director of Social Work, Thyme Care

Whole-person cancer care asks a simple question: Is this person supported as a human being, not just treated as a patient?

The answer depends on what happens far beyond the clinic walls.

Inside a whole-person cancer care experience

When someone receives a new cancer diagnosis, life rarely pauses. Rent still comes due. Children still need caregivers. Work responsibilities remain. Family dynamics and pre-existing financial or mental health concerns often intensify.

Stephanie’s team sees that reality daily.

“People face information overload, fear, financial strain, childcare issues, lost wages, transportation needs, and emotional distress. Cancer often worsens whatever challenges already existed—family conflict, financial instability, or mental health needs. Even well-adjusted people become anxious when they can’t meet basic needs.”

Whole-person care acknowledges that these pressures directly influence whether someone can follow a treatment plan, attend appointments, or stay on therapy when side effects intensify. That means care must extend past chemotherapy orders and scan results.

In Thyme Care’s care model, each member receives access to an oncology-trained team:

• Nurses who provides clinical education, symptom management, and chronic conditions management
• Nurse practitioners who triage urgent clinical needs support and advanced care
• Social workers who address emotional and psychosocial challenges and connect members with needed support resources 
• Care partners who act as a member advocate and address care coordination support

This integrated team works as one unit, with medical directors across primary care, oncology, and palliative care providing clinical oversight, case review, and support for complex cases, so patients and caregivers never have to manage a life-changing diagnosis alone.

Why oncology social work belongs at the center of cancer care

A social worker is a trained professional who helps people navigate complex emotional, social, and practical challenges, connecting them with the right support and resources. At Thyme Care, social workers play a crucial role in empowering individuals and families with thoughtful guidance and compassionate, practical solutions when they need it most.

Social work often sits in the background of healthcare stories, if it appears at all.

“Social work has a branding problem. People think of social workers with a clipboard, not clinically trained professionals walking alongside them.”

Oncology social workers at Thyme Care hold master’s degrees, advanced certifications, and deep training in both clinical and behavioral health. They assess distress, identify social determinants of health, and intervene early, long before a crisis hits.

“Most major serious illness—renal disease, transplant, end-stage organ conditions—requires social work as part of care. Oncology does not, and that’s a disservice. Social work improves adjustment, reduces distress, supports families, and addresses the practical barriers that interfere with treatment. It should be part of the standard care plan for every patient, and at Thyme Care, we're making that a reality.”

Social workers help people:

• Process fear, grief, and uncertainty
• Navigate insurance and benefit complexity
• Address food insecurity, housing instability, or transportation gaps
• Stay connected to community resources and faith or social networks
• Prepare for difficult conversations about goals, values, and preferences

The work reaches into emotional, spiritual, and practical dimensions of life. Those dimensions shape treatment adherence as surely as lab values or imaging results.

Palliative care also plays a key role here. It focuses on relieving symptom burden and supporting quality of life at any stage of a serious illness—not just at the end of life.

“Palliative care is my lens for seeing the world, relieving symptom burden, emotional burden, spiritual burden, and everything that makes living with a serious illness harder. Oncology is where I feel my skill set makes the greatest difference.”

Whole-person cancer care reflects that lens. The model treats social work as core, not optional.

Proactive oncology care: catching problems before they become crises

Many people struggle to reach their care team between appointments. Limited evening and weekend staffing means messages can sit until the next business day.

“Cancer comes with a significant symptom burden—pain, nausea, fatigue, emotional overwhelm. Many patients won’t call their provider because they’re worried about being a bother. Our proactive screening catches issues early before they become emergencies.”

Thyme Care does not wait for people to reach out.

They screen symptoms proactively and follow evidence-based playbooks to address them in a timely manner. The Care Team uses proactive patient-reported outcome surveys (ePROs) to identify and address symptoms before ED escalation based on needs. This ePRO program was developed using published research that demonstrates proactive symptom monitoring improves outcomes, with the following tools:

• NCCN-recommended distress thermometers
• Routine symptom-identification screenings
• PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 for depression
• Columbia Suicide Risk Assessment when indicated

“Each symptom area has a playbook that dictates cadence, education, and interventions. Automatic triggers help us reach out before something becomes unmanageable.”

This structure allows nurses, social workers, and the Care Team to see patterns early: escalating distress, worsening pain, new transportation challenges, emerging food insecurity, or signs that someone is withdrawing from their usual support network. Identifying these issues early on helps prevent avoidable ED visits.

“Early social work involvement leads to better adjustment, lower distress, more consistent treatment adherence, fewer avoidable ED visits, and improved outcomes for both patients and families. At Thyme Care, we attempt to address what’s happening emotionally and practically before it becomes a crisis.”

Whole-person care treats early outreach as a clinical intervention in its own right.

Virtual cancer care navigation and 24/7 support: extending care into the home

Most challenges appear when the clinic is closed. Symptoms flare at night. Transportation to early morning appointments falls through. Bills arrive without clear explanations.

Around-the-clock support and virtual navigation bring care into those real-life moments. Thyme Care’s purpose-built technology provides a digital front door for members to easily access support throughout their care journey, based on their specific cancer type and individual needs. Thyme Care Connect, our easy-to-use web app, provides members self-serve access to resources, vetted educational information, and other tools designed by cancer specialists. This is also where members can reach out to their Care Team.

A dedicated team provides:

• Immediate clinical guidance for new or recurring symptoms
• Coaching on when to seek urgent in-person care
• Help preparing for upcoming appointments
• Benefit and coverage clarity before financial stress intensifies
• Flexible outreach by phone, text, or digital tools

“Support should be proactive, non-invasive, and responsive to what people may not be able to articulate yet.”

Sometimes that means a direct conversation. Sometimes it looks like practical help delivered without fanfare.

“People in treatment often don’t know what they need. Proactive support can be as simple as sending groceries, a gas card, or a meal delivery, without requiring the person to ask. And it also means asking, ‘How can I support you?’ and respecting their boundaries.”

Virtual navigation turns fragmented appointments into a continuous experience. Instead of wondering whom to call, people know they have one team committed to keeping them safe, informed, and supported at home.

Caregivers and families: the hidden second patient

A caregiver is someone who provides day-to-day emotional, physical, and practical support to a loved one facing a serious health challenge. At Thyme Care, these partners play a vital role in helping people manage appointments, decisions, and the ongoing demands of treatment.

Cancer rarely affects a single person. Families absorb the shock of diagnosis and carry much of the day-to-day load.

“Cancer doesn’t just happen to the patient; it happens to the family.”

Caregivers juggle appointments, paperwork, childcare, transportation, work schedules, and emotional support, often while facing their own anxiety, grief, or depression.

“Caregivers absorb enormous amounts of information while supporting their loved ones under traumatic conditions. They navigate insurance, benefits, logistics, childcare, and work demands while supporting the patient emotionally. Caregivers often experience their own anxiety and depression, and most healthcare systems never ask how they’re doing.”

Whole-person cancer care includes caregivers as central partners. Social workers and navigators:

• Ask caregivers what they need, not just what they can provide
• Normalize their emotional responses and offer counseling or referral
• Simplify logistics and help organize information
• Share tools for note-taking, question lists, and portal navigation

Thyme Care cares for caregivers. Because when caregivers feel seen and supported, they can sustain their role through long treatment journeys. That stability enhances safety and continuity for the person receiving care.

Closing the oncology care gap: beyond traditional case management

Modern oncology involves fragmented systems. Oncologists, primary care clinicians, specialists, social services, and payers each hold different parts of the story. Without a clear connector, important information falls through the cracks.

Thyme Care’s model positions its technology, navigation, and virtual Care Team as the coordination layer that keeps everyone aligned. The team shares timely updates across providers, supports clinical decision-making with real-time context, and helps members move through treatment without unnecessary delays or preventable acute care use.

This coordination strengthens adherence, smooths transitions, reduces avoidable utilization, and supports the quality measures central to value-based oncology models. It reframes navigation and social work from supportive add-ons to essential components of reliable, high-quality cancer care.

While many health plans offer case management during a diagnosis, these programs were not built for modern oncology. Many lack disease-specific expertise, operate within limited schedules, or focus primarily on utilization management. That often leads to long wait times, delayed callbacks, or staff who may not fully understand cancer treatment pathways.

“Healthcare is extremely fragmented. Effective coordination requires a dedicated point person who keeps the patient’s voice at the center and ensures oncologists, PCPs, specialists, and caregivers are aligned. Sometimes that means empowering patients with portals or note-taking; sometimes it means being the bridge between practices that don’t have the resources.”

“That's what we do at Thyme Care. We're the connective tissue between everyone in the cancer care ecosystem making sure everyone has the right care, at the right time.”

Alignment across the cancer care ecosystem: members, payers, providers

For the model to work at scale, each stakeholder must see clear benefit.

For members: confidence, clarity, and real support

People facing cancer need a plan they can understand and a team they can reach. Whole-person care gives each member:

• A familiar team that understands their history and preferences
• Help managing appointments, referrals, and coverage
• Clear education about symptoms and side effects
• Emotional and practical support during stressful periods

Early intervention prevents unnecessary visits and keeps treatment on schedule. The overall journey feels less disjointed.

Where to learn more: Thyme Care for Members

For payers: reliable outcomes in value-based oncology

Cancer care represents a large portion of medical spend and carries high variation. Traditional case management often cannot address the nuanced, cancer-specific drivers of treatment gaps or unnecessary acute care use.

Whole-person cancer care offers payers’ members:

• Earlier identification of risk
• Fewer preventable emergency department encounters
• More consistent, coordinated treatment adherence
• Better member experience, satisfaction, and retention

A model aligned with quality and cost goals in EOM, OCM, and similar frameworks

Where to learn more: Thyme Care for Payers

For providers: relief from hidden burdens

Oncology provider groups manage far more than clinical tasks. Scheduling conflicts, financial counseling, emotional crises, and transportation issues frequently land on already stretched care teams.

Whole-person cancer care helps:

• Handle logistics and coordination that pull staff away from clinical work
• Address practical barriers and psychosocial needs for patients on behalf of staff
• Share a comprehensive picture of each person’s circumstances
• Reduce staff burnout by alleviating non-clinical tasks

Clinicians gain more time for complex decision-making and meaningful conversations, while their patients arrive better prepared and supported.

Where to learn more: Thyme Care for Providers

Evidence that whole-person cancer care works

Whole-person cancer care is grounded in compassion and supported by data. When clinical guidance, navigation, and social work operate as a single system, patterns shift.

Across oncology populations, missed visits, unmanaged symptoms, and practical barriers often cluster in the same individuals. Once a dedicated team tracks distress, social needs, and symptom burden in real time, different trends appear: adherence stabilizes, avoidable emergencies decline, and people stay engaged longer.

Key drivers include:

• Early escalation pathways for physical and emotional symptoms
• Proactive outreach at known high-friction moments
• Tailored education during dosing changes or new regimens
• Coordinated planning during transitions across settings
• Programs that fully embed social work into care see clear differences.

“Research shows patients have better outcomes when they have access to social work. It should not be optional.”

Those differences show up in:

• Fewer gaps in treatment
• Higher retention through demanding cycles
• Stronger family adjustment and coping

For payers and providers working inside value-based arrangements, these outcomes translate into more predictable patterns and lower variation.

“When people can use their tools, engage their supports, and articulate their needs, they’re on a stronger path. A patient doing well is not someone who feels good, it’s someone who understands their feelings, knows how to cope, accesses support when needed, and stays connected to their care team and community.”

Better experiences become leading indicators of better results.

A cancer care model built for scale

Thyme Care’s ecosystem spans millions of eligible lives and a national network of partnered oncologists. That reach matters because social determinants, cultural contexts, and care environments differ widely across communities.

Scaling whole-person care requires:

• Teams practicing at the top of their licensure
• Playbooks flexible enough for local realities
• Technology that surfaces risk while respecting nuance
• Partnerships that integrate with existing clinical workflows

“We operate at the highest level of licensure and don’t force patients to choose between practical support and emotional care. We have licensed master social workers, oncology-certified social workers, and clinical social workers practicing at full scope. We address social determinants of health, practical needs, behavioral health navigation, and emotional support simultaneously. Most settings require patients to choose based on capacity; we do not.”

A large, diverse population highlights where the model must adapt and where core principles stay constant. The constant piece: every person deserves care that sees the full reality of their life.

Looking ahead: a more honest, human, and equitable oncology landscape

The next decade in oncology will be shaped by how well systems support people between visits, not just inside infusion suites or imaging centers. Data integration will improve. Value-based contracts will evolve. Expectations from patients and families will rise.

Whole-person cancer care points toward a future where emotional, spiritual, and practical needs sit beside clinical measures in defining high-quality care.

“If we focused on alleviating symptom burden—physical, emotional, spiritual—we would transform the cancer experience. Living well and dying well requires honest conversations, whole-person support, and care teams empowered to talk about what matters most.”

As more people experience integrated navigation and social work as part of “normal” care, expectations will shift.

“My dream is that people automatically see their social worker as part of their care team, just like they see their oncologist or get their scans. Skilled clinicians should be treated as the essential professionals they are, and social work should be recognized as fundamental to living well with cancer.”

Whole-person cancer care makes that vision tangible. It connects patients, payers, and providers through a shared commitment: treating every person as more than a diagnosis and building a system designed for the lives they actually live.

Frequently asked questions about whole-person cancer care

What is whole-person cancer care?

It’s a model that combines clinical guidance, navigation, psychosocial support, and practical assistance to address the full experience of living with cancer, not just the medical treatment.

How does cancer care navigation help during treatment?

Navigators guide people through appointments, insurance questions, symptom changes, logistics, and daily challenges that can disrupt care.

What is proactive symptom management?

It’s early outreach and structured monitoring that catch issues like pain, fatigue, and nausea before they escalate into emergencies.

How does 24/7 cancer support work?

A round-the-clock clinical team provides immediate guidance for new symptoms or urgent questions outside clinic hours, helping avoid unnecessary ED visits.

How does virtual cancer support differ from in-person care?

Virtual support extends care into the home through real-time communication, ongoing check-ins, and rapid help for symptoms or planning needs between appointments.

How do social workers improve the cancer care experience?

They address emotional strain, family needs, financial concerns, and social determinants of health that directly affect treatment adherence and quality of life.

How does whole-person care reduce avoidable costs?

Early intervention, timely symptom triage, and help with barriers like transportation or financial strain prevent delays, complications, and emergency utilization.

What role does technology play in whole-person cancer care?

Technology surfaces rising risk, triggers outreach based on symptom patterns, supports virtual communication, and helps coordinate information across care teams.

How do care teams coordinate across different providers?

Navigation, nursing, and social work teams share updates, follow evidence-based playbooks, and maintain continuous communication with oncology and primary care.

What support is available for caregivers?

Caregivers receive guidance for logistics, emotional support, tools for organizing information, and help managing responsibilities that intensify during treatment.

What practical resources can patients access through navigation programs?

Support often includes help with transportation, meal access, financial counseling, community referrals, and assistance with scheduling or coverage questions.

How does whole-person cancer care fit into value-based oncology models?

It strengthens adherence, reduces preventable utilization, improves patient experience, and brings more consistency to treatment patterns which are key drivers in value-based arrangements.