Passport for Care Survivor App Implementation Guide
Thank you for your interest in the Passport for Care application. Below, please find an introduction to this new feature of the Passport for Care along with materials to support its implementation in your clinic.
Video Introduction
Overview
The Passport for Care® (PFC) mobile app, developed by Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Cancer Center, is an extension of the PFC web-based Survivor Portal that provides access to treatment history, follow-up care guidelines, and educational resources for survivors of childhood cancer and their families and caregivers in an accessible and appealing format. The PFC app is available in English and Spanish.
The app is being rolled out gradually and enabled on a per-clinic basis, with clinics receiving introduction letters detailing their individual timeline. This implementation guide provides clinicians with essential information about the PFC mobile app, its impact on clinic operations, and how best to prepare for the app’s rollout.
This implementation guide contains information about the app and rollout process, sample outputs and screen shots of the app, and materials designed for your use in clinic and for your survivors to use at home to help them get the most out of the PFC.
Key Points for Clinicians:
Once enabled for your clinic, the app will be available on Android and iOS devices to survivors who have previously activated or are activating a PFC Survivor account
The app includes all functionality available to survivors on the PFC Survivor Website, as well as a new resource library and clinic messaging feature
Some changes to the Survivor Activation Letter, including instructions for app-based activation and a QR code to facilitate both app- and web-based activation pathways, may affect patient onboarding in your clinic with a new, simplified process
Educational resources in the app are based on questions and topics survivors have identified as priorities
The app adds a messaging channel that allows your clinic and the Passport for Care to send messages to enrolled survivors.
Actions Required:
Familiarize yourself with the app's features to provide support to survivors.
Review the sample activation letter and instructional materials.
Ensure clinic staff are aware of the changes to the patient activation process
Review the educational and support materials available for clinicians and survivors
For further assistance, access the PFC support documentation or contact the PFC support team. The PFC team is available at pfc-helpdesk@bcm.edu or svp-helpdesk@bcm.edu to provide additional support; alternatively, a FAQ section can be accessed at https://bcmccit.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PFCHELP/pages.
Additional Resources
Survivor Support Materials
PFC App Survivor Support page:
PFC Survivor Support Portal:
Clinician Support Materials
PFC Clinician Support Portal:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Passport for Care (PFC) App and why was it developed?
The PFC app is a digital tool that enhances the existing PFC platform by offering on-the-go access to key healthcare information through an accessible mobile interface. While the Survivor Portal website has always been accessible on mobile devices, some users prefer an app-based experience. The PFC received many requests for a mobile app from clinicians and survivors. In the app, survivors and caregivers can securely access their medical information and personalized survivorship care plans, communicate with clinic staff, and explore the latest educational resources—all through a convenient and accessible user interface.
When will the PFC App be available in my clinic?
The PFC app will be rolled out gradually and enabled on a per-clinic basis. Each clinic will receive a letter notifying them of their clinic activation date. On that date, the PFC Mobile App will become available to new and existing survivors. New activation letters generated after this rollout will contain information about activating their accounts on the app as well as on the website.
Later, survivors and caregivers who have activated PFC Survivor Portal accounts will also receive a notification letting them know that they can install and use the app. They will be able to sign into the app using their existing accounts and will not be required to contact the clinic to get started.
What will survivors see in the PFC App?
Through the Treatment Summary section, survivors will be able to view their disease and treatment histories, including diagnosis and treatment agents. In the Care Summary section, survivors will be able to view personalized recommendations for follow-up care, including potential late effects they can discuss with their physicians.
Survivors will also be able to access educational materials produced by PFC collaborators on topics selected as priorities by survivor panels. These include the Health Insights and a Survivorship Q&A series of videos, as well as follow-up recommendations that they can share with their healthcare providers.
Survivors will also be able to download their survivorship care plans and share them with healthcare providers and family.
A new feature of the app is a tool to allow clinic staff to send messages to survivors via a secure text messaging feature. Survivors will be able to access the notifications within the application. The layout of this view will be familiar to survivors who have experience using other standard messaging services.
Clinic staff and clinicians will find a slightly different view, consisting of a list of survivors on the left and the active chat window on the right. The active chat window will resemble the survivors’ perspective and is designed for survivors to communicate with personnel in non-emergency situations. If survivors are experiencing an emergency, please remember to direct them towards emergency services.
What do I need to do to prepare for the launch of the PFC App?
To prepare for its launch at your practice, there may be a need for some small changes to your clinical workflow to accommodate the app-based activation procedure. We recommend allowing survivors to download the app and activate their account in clinic, time permitting, to improve utilization. Clinicians should review the new activation letter format to understand how survivors can activate their accounts. A sample activation letter is included in this implementation guide, and a short video explaining the activation process is available on the survivor support page.
How will survivors install and use the PFC App?
The app can be installed from the Google Play Store (for Android devices) and Apple App Store (for iPhones and iPads). Most survivors will be familiar with how to search for and install an app on their devices, but instructions and links to the app can be found on the app support page linked from the Survivor Activation Letter and available online. Survivors and caregivers with existing PFC Survivor Portal accounts will be able to sign in using their existing username and password.
Survivors and caregivers who are activating new accounts will be able to activate their accounts either through the website or the new mobile app. The activation letter has been updated to provide instructions for both activation pathways. It is recommended that clinic staff familiarize themselves with the new format to assist users in the activation process. To support clinicians and survivors, the PFC has produced instructional materials to help users install and use the app.
How can I get assistance in using the PFC App?
To get assistance with the PFC app, survivors and clinicians can access the PFC support documentation online and in the app.
A list of frequently asked questions and their answers can be found on the PFC Online Support Portal. Alternatively, the PFC support team can be reached at pfc-helpdesk@bcm.edu (for clinicians) or svp-helpdesk@bcm.edu (for survivors).