Protocol Behavioral Health has officially launched, bringing oncology-focused behavioral health and supportive care directly into cancer clinics and oncology practices nationwide. The company works alongside oncologists and care teams to provide evidence-based mental health support that is fully integrated, measurable, and tailored to the unique needs of cancer patients.
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Patients diagnosed with cancer often face a complex and demanding journey, including treatment regimens, lab tests, imaging, side effects, pain management, and financial stress, all while managing significant psychological distress. Studies show that over half of cancer patients experience anxiety, depression, trauma, or cognitive difficulties during treatment, yet fewer than 10 percent receive behavioral health services. Many patients encounter fragmented care with hand-offs to outside therapists, long waitlists, high out-of-network costs, and clinicians who may lack oncology-specific expertise. Protocol was founded to address these gaps, ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality, evidence-based care within their oncology care setting.
Jack Fitzgibbons, Co-Founder and CEO of Protocol, said that while oncology has advanced rapidly through novel therapies and precision medicine, emotional and psychological needs often remain unaddressed. He explained that Protocol integrates behavioral health specialists directly into oncology teams, ensuring care is immediate, evidence-based, and part of the patient’s existing treatment workflow. The goal is to remove barriers and prevent behavioral health from being treated as an afterthought.
Protocol partners directly with oncology practices to deliver cancer-specific behavioral health services, helping patients remain engaged in care, improving outcomes and quality of life, and reducing preventable emergency visits and hospitalizations. The model aligns care delivery with reimbursable practice workflows, allowing patients to use existing insurance coverage and avoid high out-of-pocket costs common in traditional behavioral health care.
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Cara Bohon, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Protocol, emphasized that oncology patients face distinct clinical and emotional challenges, including medication side effects, uncertainty about prognosis, and shifting family responsibilities. She explained that Protocol is designed so that distress screening leads to timely and meaningful interventions connected to oncology teams and grounded in evidence-based practices.
Protocol care teams include licensed clinicians and behavioral health care managers trained in psycho-oncology, with psychiatric support to ensure patients receive appropriate levels of care tailored to their cancer journey. Referred patients are seen within 48 hours, providing rapid access to specialized support.
The company’s leadership team combines deep expertise in oncology, behavioral health, and technology-enabled care delivery. Jack Fitzgibbons brings experience scaling healthcare services across clinical and administrative operations and previously served as CEO of Assembly Health and Preferred Podiatry Group. Cara Bohon has two decades of experience in evidence-based behavioral health care and has served as Associate Clinical Professor at Stanford University and SVP at Equip Health. Mark Ahern, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, has extensive experience partnering with oncology practices nationwide, having previously served as Chief Development Officer at US Oncology and Vantage Oncology.
Protocol is currently operating with leading oncology practices across five states and is rapidly expanding to bring whole-person cancer care to more communities nationwide. The company invests in training behavioral health care managers in psycho-oncology to address workforce shortages while maintaining quality through measurement-based care and close collaboration with oncology teams.
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