Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/90491
As Dr. Chin explains, White Plains Hospital has proven to be the ideal setting to marry a community focus with innovative procedures, such as video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and tracheal surgery. "We looked at all the pieces here and thought there wasn't any reason we couldn't build the same program," says Dr. Chin. "The administration's vision, the nursing staff, the intensive care unit (ICU), the operative facilities and support of the current thoracic surgeons, Drs. Scott K. Berman and Robert L. Streisand — we felt like all the pieces were here to build a world-class program." At Diagnosis The thoracic surgery program's multidisciplinary approach to care hinges on communication among providers within both White Plains Hospital and the larger Westchester medical community. Before a patient calls to schedule an appointment, Drs. Chin and Weiser have a conversation with the primary care or referring physician to ensure he or she is fully briefed on the case. Maggie Zhang, the thoracic surgery program manager, is also notified of the patient's referral. Having worked with the specialists at Drs. Chin's and Weiser's former Manhattan practice, Zhang understands the emotional needs of patients calling to make an appointment with a surgeon for what may be a cancer diagnosis. She schedules their evalu- ations for as early as they would like — sometimes within the same day — and begins to organize imaging results, laboratory reports and physician records. When a patient arrives for his or her appointment, Zhang has already begun the process of personalizing his or her care. "We appreciate the fact that most patients who come to us are " quite fearful about what they've been told regarding a nodule or a potential cancer," says Dr. Weiser. "We make every effort to see patients as soon as possible to relieve their anxiety." During the initial evaluation at White Plains Hospital, Drs. Chin and Weiser utilize the latest videoscopic equipment for lung cancer resections to facilitate patient recovery. Drs. Chin and Weiser review the patient's imaging results and thoroughly explain the possible clinical implications. The conversation also covers the next steps to obtain a diagnosis and then appropriate treatment options for the patient. When indicated, the specialists incorporate minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat the problem. For example, physicians used to primarily rely on mediasti- noscopy to sample lymph nodes in the chest. While this surgical procedure could be performed on an outpatient basis, it required the surgeon to make a 1.5-centimeter incision in the patient's neck. Drs. Chin and Weiser employ endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) technology to access the lymph nodes through the needed to create a world-class thoracic surgery program. We've already seen that over the past months. It's White Plains Hospital is well-outfitted with everything not that we think White Plains Hospital is a good fit — we know it is, based on our experience. We've seen great outcomes, and White Plains Hospital should be a destination for thoracic surgery in Westchester. — Cynthia S. Chin, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Director of the Women's Cancer Program Services at White Plains Hospital MDNEWS.COM s MD NEWS Mid Hudson | 7 "