The Community Hospital Imperative: Why CGT Access Strategy Must Go Beyond Academic Medical Centers

Fewer than one in five eligible patients actually receive a cell or gene therapy for which they qualify. That number reflects a structural mismatch between where these therapies are delivered and where most patients seek care. Academic medical centers were the right starting point; they had the laboratory infrastructure, trained staff, and institutional appetite for therapies that arrived with complex logistics and intensive monitoring demands. But as approvals accumulate and commercial pressure intensifies, that model alone cannot support the volume or geographic diversity the market now requires.

Community hospitals treat the majority of patients in the U.S., including those who will never travel to a major academic center. Excluding them from your access strategy means excluding a significant portion of your eligible population. Review your current site mix against patient population data to identify where access gaps are concentrated.