Virtual GI Cancer Clinical Trial Consult

Clinical Trials for GI Cancers

If you’ve been diagnosed with a gastrointestinal (GI) cancer or colorectal cancer and want to learn more about cancer clinical trials, consider a virtual consult. During this call, a member of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) research studies team will educate you and provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information about our current clinical trials.

Why Consider a Virtual Consult?

A virtual clinical trial consultation is your chance to learn more about the cancer clinical trial experience. You’ll also learn about the trial options that may match your medical situation. Whether you are newly diagnosed with localized (confined to original site) or metastatic (spread) cancer, or facing a recurrent (returning) cancer, the BIDMC research study team can provide an overview of your options. A virtual consult will help you make the best decision about whether or not to join a clinical trial.

Candidates for Virtual Consult

You don't need a referral. Any resident of Massachusetts diagnosed with GI cancer may request a virtual consult. State licensing requires us to limit studies to state residents only.

Why Does BIDMC Offer Virtual Consults?

We believe that more patients would join clinical trials if it were easier to learn details and get answers to their questions. We developed an interactive video format for virtual consults to provide you with personalized information while sparing you the need to visit us in person.

What To Expect

During your virtual consult, you’ll speak directly with a research nurse practitioner (NP) or a medical doctor (MD) from our program who specializes in medical oncology for GI cancers. We conduct virtual consults using secure software that complies with the federal health care privacy law. You can use any iOS or Android mobile device — such as a tablet or smartphone — or any camera-enabled Mac or PC laptop or desktop computer.

We will provide details about how to log in to the application with your tablet computer or smart phone. After you log in, you’ll be connected to a video consultation with one of our research NPs or medical oncologists. They will review your medical history, discuss current and upcoming trials offered by the BIDMC Cancer Center and answer any questions you may have.

Consultation Cost

We bill this service to your insurance company. After the consultation, and if you decide to participate in a cancer clinical trial, the BIDMC team will discuss with you which medical expenses will be covered by the trial sponsor and which we will bill to your insurance.