MDNews - Greater Boston

integrated pre- and post-operative care plan, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients. Regardless of the diagnosis or treatment, LHMC's exemplary record offers patients reassurance and hope. Integration Benefits Patients Inherent in LHMC's approach to care is offering all services in one location. Typically, transplantation programs are pieced together with members of the departments of surgery and medicine who collaborate on transplant cases as a portion of their practices. At LHMC's Department of Transplantation, the team is one cohesive unit. A patient can expect to meet with the necessary specialists quickly — often on the same day — and frequently thereafter. The integrated structure allows physicians to perform a transplant evaluation without sending the patient to various offices or hospital locations. Each evaluation includes time with a hepatologist or nephrologist and a surgeon, as well as any other subspecialty physician relevant to the patient's individual care plan. "The patient sits in one room, and the specialists — not the patient — change rooms," says James Pomposelli, MD, PhD, FACS, Surgical Director of Transplantation. The proximity also promotes communication between all four branches of the department: the kidney transplant program, liver cancer center, liver transplant program and the live donor transplant program. Whether a patient is self-referred or referred by a primary care physician or specialist, each appointment is scheduled promptly. The Department of Transplantation never uses automated scheduling, but instead relies on care coordinators to provide another point of contact for patients and help ensure appointments are made expeditiously and the schedule remains flexible. O N T H E T E A M FOR PATIENTS PREPARING for a transplant, treatment questions and concerns often cross the boundaries of the operating room. As such, the Department of Transplantation at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center pairs its medical and surgical treatments with a more holistic approach to care, addressing everything from scheduling and finances to dietary and pharmaceutical issues. The team of providers includes: + Donor advocates + Financial coordinators + Nutritionists + Partners in anesthesia, cardiology, infec- tious disease, pathology and radiology + Psychiatrists + Social workers "We have integrated care under one roof," says Shiang-Cheng Kung, MD, Medical Director of the Kidney Transplantation Program. "Our day-to-day focus is on transplant patients. That is a much better model for patient care." Dr. Pomposelli and Dr. Kung review a patient's information. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Greater Boston | 7

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