ANN ARBOR, MI — Travel-related burdens are an ongoing issue for veterans with multiple myeloma and other specialty care patients.
In response, the VHA’s National Oncology Program sponsors the Close to Me (CTM) care model to facilitate novel care delivery strategies throughout the VA system. The VA Ann Arbor, MI, Healthcare System (VAAAHS) Hematology-Oncology Clinic implemented CTM, using local VA clinics and home-based therapies to reduce travel burdens for veterans.
Eligible for the care model were VHA patients receiving infusion treatments who lived near a VA community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC), regardless of primary specialty, and those with multiple myeloma receiving bortezomib subcutaneously. The study led by the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan report that, after enrollment, veterans received their infusion therapies at a CBOC, administered by traveling VA Ann Arbor infusion nurses. Veterans with multiple myeloma self-administered bortezomib at home under direct observation of an infusion nurse.
From October 2024 to June 2025, the Ann Arbor VAMC enrolled 102 patients in the CTM program. The study published in JCO Oncology Practice found that patients saved 21,840 total travel miles, for an estimated $8,954 of travel-related costs saved by patients receiving care at a local clinic or at home.1
The study team, which also included participation from the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, advised that 261 treatment visits were completed, with an estimated $403,432 of potential drug cost-savings on the basis of VA vs. Medicare Average Sales Pricing File data. No serious adverse events related to patients receiving therapy locally or at home were documented, with overall 98.5% treatment adherence.
The authors also noted that patient satisfaction was high, with most patients rating their experience as excellent and reporting that they would recommend this service to others.
“The VAAAHS CTM program demonstrates the safety and feasibility of a local clinic and home-based infusion program through the VA, resulting in significant travel and cost-savings for patients. Our experience addresses issues related to the delivery of cancer care in both VA and non-VA settings,” the researchers concluded.
- Chen JC, Shields J, Bredin T, Carelli D, Bazzell B, Higashimoto T, Veenstra C, Cusick A, Passero V. Implementation and Evaluation of Close to Me, a Novel Outpatient Clinic and Home-Based Infusion Therapy Program Through the Veterans Health Administration. JCO Oncol Pract. 2026 Jan 23:OP2501082. doi: 10.1200/OP-25-01082. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41576318.