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translates into really good patient care because we're constantly talking with each other — whether by phone, text, email or in person — about individual patients and the specific aspect of the care that they're currently undergoing," Dr. Gordon says. "I think, as a result, our patients feel more of a connection. I think they feel that they're not just a number. They're not just a disease." The entire oncology team meets weekly to discuss patients' cases and care pro- tocols to ensure everyone is in sync and coordinating care. " I t h i n k wh at u nder scores ever y de c i s ion we m a k e i s , ' Ho w wou ld we treat our ow n fa mi ly member? '" Dr. Ananthakrishnan says. "I've been at a lot of big institutions, and I think what we have to offer is just that extra little bit of love and TLC to get a patient through this tough time, in addition to our world-class surgical and oncologic care." INVOLVED, ACCESSIBLE CARE The White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care doesn't just loop in its entire team, it also takes specific steps to make sure a patient's primary care physician is up to date. "We let them know what's going on with the patient," Dr. Ananthakrishnan says. "We make sure that they get copies of all our notes, and we keep them informed with the plans. Really, we work together." This collaborative approach is unlike some other practices that assume spe- cialists always know best. "Patients have a lifelong relationship with their primar y care doctors, and they 're an integra l part of the team," Dr. Ananthakrishnan says. "They have known the patient for much longer than we have, so a lot of times they can give us insight into circumstances at home that might impact patients, whether it's decision-making or compliance." This level of communication is espe- cially important given that an increasing number of patients aren't coming from Westchester Cou nt y a nd New York but also from New Jersey, Connecticut and upstate. THE FOREFRONT OF BREAST CONSERVATION SURGERY In recent years, the treatment protocol for breast cancer has changed to provide the option of breast conservation surgery for a majority of patients. "When one performs a lumpectomy, one is preserving the breast, but one must try to preserve a breast in such a way that Mark Gordon, MD, FACS M A RK GORDON, MD, FACS, is the Surgical Director of the White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care. A surgical oncologist who attended Northwestern University Medical School and completed his general surgery residency at The New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center, now known as New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Gordon has been on staff at White Plains Hospital for 32 years. He also completed a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and has served as an instructor of surgery at the New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center and as a clinical assistant professor of surgery at Cornell University Medical College. Mark Gordon, MD, FACS, Surgical Director of the White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care, consults with Adult Health Nurse Practitioner Karen Kennedy regarding a patient case. " At White Plains Hospital, we have an institutional commitment to constantly refine and enhance our techniques and treatment options for patients." — MARK GORDON, MD, FACS, SURGICAL DIRECTOR OF WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL CENTER FOR CANCER CARE M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 0 21 0 7