CTCA Cancer Care Model
Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by trish in family focus
An interesting fact…What’s longer? The average American lunch break or the average time that cancer patients spend with their oncologist?
The United States Department of Labor mandates that a lunch break be 30 minutes or more, yet according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the average time that cancer patients spend with their oncologist is just 24.5 minutes. Just 24.5 minutes. That’s less than a lunch break.
Despite today’s “stop watch” healthcare environment, CTCA has successfully piloted a cancer care model to break the cycle. At CTCA:
· Patients embrace a seamless experience in one visit with a fully focused core Empowerment Team that includes a medical oncologist, naturopathic oncology provider, registered dietitian, nurse care manager, clinic nurse and others dedicated to helping them fight their specific cancer.
· Patients receive a total time ranging between 2 and 3 hours with their full Empowerment Team for every visit, depending on their individual needs.
· All Empowerment Team members come to the patient in one comfortable room, one right after another, for a focused and uninterrupted visit that ensures the entire care team and the patient are on the same page throughout treatment.
At CTCA, this “Patient Empowered Care” model is an advancement in the patient treatment delivery process. Patient Empowered Care helps advance care through health literacy – whereby patients receive the information and communication needed to clearly understand their condition and make educated decisions about their cancer care. This time and greater access to all team members for more responsive, personalized care ultimately leads to a greater patient understanding of their condition and the plan for treatment.
Roxanne McIntyre with Patient – Care Manager Roxanne McIntyre offers a warm welcome to Blas Ruiz, a CTCA patient who shared the story of how his Patient Empowerment Team is helping him through his journey with cancer, during the launch event.
PEC Team – President and Founder of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Richard J Stephenson is joined by David Veillette, CEO of CTCA’s Goodyear hospital, in recognizing members of one of CTCA’s Patient Empowerment Teams. Pictured from left to right are: Richard J Stephenson, Danielle Bach – Nutritionist, Julie Smith – Care Manager, Dr. Jeffrey Sager – Naturopathic Physician, Nurse – Amy Malensek – Heckathorne and Daniel Nixon, MD – Medical Oncologist.
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