MDNews - San Antonio

COV ER FE AT UR E F OR MORE THAN three decades, CCCST ha s helped patients access treatment for cancer and disorders of the blood in their home communities. The practice has expanded its geographic reach, number of specialists and scope of services, now including nearly 30 physicians seeing patients at 17 locations throughout the region. Sites of service include seven locations in San Antonio and others in Boerne, Floresville, Fredericksburg, Hondo, Kerrville, Marble Falls, New Braunfels, Pleasa nton/Jourda nton, Seguin and Uvalde. Manuel Santiago, MD, CCCST Joint Policy Board Member, has been present for much of this expansion. "I joined CCCST in 1998, leaving a full-time position at the University of Texas Health Science Center," he says. "Working with CCCST leadership, we have hired numerous physicians and extended the range of services to include radiation oncology, gynecologic oncology and breast surgery. We have opened new locations across the area. Our physician membership across all sites of service has expanded to approxi- mately 30 physicians. The volume of physicians and services within CCCST has allowed us to reverse the concept of having a central hub for the practice." Rather than making trips to multiple locations or distant referral centers, patients receive integrated ca re at CCCST's local clinics. CCCST optimizes services to f low into the community while still delivering the multidisci- plinar y integration a major medical center provides. "Care is designed to be as close as pos- sible to patients' homes," Dr. Santiago says. "That's where they have the sup- port of their family and loved ones. Cancer treatment, with its months of tightly scheduled appointments, is enough of a burden without long commutes to multiple sites. By fus- ing those ser vices in all the centers and partnering with local hospitals throughout our catchment area, we have been able to offer a wide distribution of support and services, including, when needed, hospital admission, biopsy and evaluation by other specialists." "In our outlying clinics, we have patients' lab work drawn and processed at the local site, and more complicated testing is sent to our central laboratory," Dr. Santiago says. "Even in the case of sophisticated genetics studies, we try to help the patient stay close to home." Advanced Technology, Community-centered Care When Abram Trevino, MD, hematolo- gist and oncologist with CCCST, reviews the highlights of what CCCST offers his patients, he lists the linear accelerator, evidence-based protocols and clinical trials, high ethical standards — and the annual barbecue CCCST's New Braun fels ca ncer center holds for patients and families each year. The New Braunfels barbecue fits within the care model, too; it's part of CCCST's focus on patients and families. When patients receive treatment close to home, their highly experienced physi- cians are often their neighbors. This FROM THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY TO SAN ANTONIO TO SOUTH TEXAS, CANCER CARE CENTERS OF SOUTH TEXAS (CCCST) BRINGS STATE-OF-THE-ART TREATMENTS, PERSONALIZED, COMPASSIONATE AND COMPREHENSIVE CARE, AND ACCESS TO CLINICAL TRIALS — CLOSE TO WHERE PATIENTS LIVE AND WORK. By Jennifer Webster Cancer Care Centers of South Texas: Clinical Depth, Geographic Breadth (L–R) Anu Dham, MD; Rebecca E. Barrington, MD, FACP; and David J. Friedman, MD, PhD, collaborate regarding patient treatment options. 6 | San Antonio MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M

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