Thyme Care Expands Serious Illness Program, Giving Patients with Advanced Cancer a Dedicated Clinical Home and Fewer Avoidable Hospitalizations

Palliative care-led speciality teams work alongside patients' oncologists to deliver continuous support, with the greatest impact among members with high risk cancers and other chronic conditions

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 5, 2026 — Thyme Care, the nationally recognized oncology company, today announced it is scaling its Serious Illness program to meet growing demand among patients living with serious illness, a condition that carries a high risk of mortality and also impairs quality of life or places significant strain on caregivers. Building on its established palliative care capabilities, the new program provides medically complex patients, who are often overlooked in traditional care settings, an added layer of support. The announcement coincides with National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time set aside to recognize the importance of this work.

One in three Thyme Care members are living with serious illness, many with advanced cancer or cancer complicated by other chronic conditions like diabetes, COPD, or heart failure. In addition to the obvious impact this has on quality of life, this population drives a large share of cancer care costs, and although palliative care is recommended alongside treatment, it remains underfunded and difficult to access. This leaves many patients without consistent support and drives avoidable hospital and emergency department visits.

Thyme Care's Serious Illness program closes that gap with continuous, specialist-informed support alongside a patient's oncology care, often reaching patients who might not otherwise receive palliative care until much later in their illness. For one national health plan partner, members connected to palliative care saw 18% lower total spend in their final 30 days of life, with 82% of that reduction attributable to lower inpatient spending, evidence that the savings come from more appropriate care, not less care.

"The sickest patients are falling through the cracks between oncology, primary care, and other sub-specialties. Patients who haven't yet connected to palliative care are often more vulnerable, with less support to manage their symptoms and navigate difficult decisions, than those who have," said Nelia Jain, MD, Medical Director of Palliative Care at Thyme Care. "We make sure patients are fully supported no matter where they are. For patients who are hesitant to engage in this level of support, either because of misconceptions they may have or because they don't believe it's needed, we spend a lot of time building trust over repeated conversations, so that when they're ready, we're already here."

Thyme Care's Serious Illness program includes:

• Direct collaboration with treating oncologists: Thyme Care's Palliative Care Physicians and Nurse Practitioners work directly with a patient's treating oncologists on complex symptom management, goals-of-care discussions, and care planning, bringing specialist expertise while keeping the oncologist at the center of treatment decisions.
• Coordinated referrals to high-quality local partners: Where a strong palliative care or hospice partner already exists, often one already connected to a member's oncologist, Thyme Care prioritizes and coordinates the referral. This provider-integrated approach extends existing clinical teams and ensures patients receive coordinated support within their established care relationships.
• Virtual palliative care when and where it's needed: Where no appropriate local outpatient palliative care is available, Thyme Care's palliative care physicians and advanced practitioners can see patients through Thyme Care's virtual Enhanced Supportive Care clinic, so that high quality palliative care isn't limited by geography or local workforce shortages.
• Serious illness education and support: Nurses, Social Workers, and Care Partners engage patients early in their cancer journey to understand their goals, address caregiver needs, and build trust. Patient-reported symptoms, hospital admission and discharge data, oncology records, and claims enable the team to continuously monitor for changes in a member's needs, proactively revisit goals-of-care conversations, and intervene as patients' needs evolve.

"I tried different things for the nausea, but for months nothing seemed to help. My Thyme Care Nurse Practitioner suggested another medication and shared research with my oncologist. He prescribed it, and the nausea finally stopped. He even told me, 'Thank her for me,'" said Isabelle R., a Thyme Care member in New Jersey with breast cancer.

Thyme Care supports members across all 50 states through a 600+ virtual Care Team and partnerships with more than 1,400 oncologists. Its value-based care arrangements with national and regional health plans help make this kind of dedicated, ongoing support possible, allowing Thyme Care to support members for as long as they need it. Thyme Care is scaling its dedicated Serious Illness program throughout 2026 and into 2027, with the goal of extending specialized support to more eligible patients across its existing partnerships.

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SOURCE Thyme Care