MDNews - Central New York

THE PLACE FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH ON AUGUST 20, UHS opened the doors of a suite dedicated exclusively to women's health. Located on the third floor of the new UHS Vestal facility at 4417 Vestal Parkway East, the suite is home to medical services and advanced technologies that are consolidated in one freestanding out- patient setting. In addition to primary and gynecologic care, women can now access comprehensive breast imaging and related services at UHS Vestal. As UHS's Camelia Lawrence, M.D., the region's only fellowship-trained oncologic breast surgeon, explains, UHS Vestal features computer-assisted mammography, both stereotactic and ultrasound-guided biopsies, and a new stereotactic suite. The female- focused care is created and delivered by a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, pathologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists and surgeons with the assistance of support services such as physical therapy to address breast cancer-related lymphedema. The facility's ultimate goal is to offer same- day biopsy service for women whose mammograms reveal an abnormality. "We are the only center within the region accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers," says Dr. Lawrence. "The construction of the center helped to really solidify our community around the latest technology, competent clinical resources and participation in clinical research. It's a one-stop shop for patients with breast diseases. I think that the center itself underscores UHS's commitment to improving the quality of breast cancer care within the Southern Tier." 8 | Central New York MD NEWS s MDNEWS.COM Susan Kost, R.N., Program Manager of the UHS Breast Center, looks over digital mammography images with radiologist Andrew Goldschmidt, M.D. an integrated approach and guided by informed and accurate decision-making. At the center of this approach are tumor boards, which bring together the full spectrum of specialists involved in cancer care. According to Ronald Harris, D.O., an oncologist/hematologist and Chair of the UHS Oncology Committee, UHS maintains a general tumor board and committees dedicated to specific dis- eases, including breast, gastrointestinal, lung and hematological cancers. Each board meets every two weeks and, in discussing cases chosen by James Hayes, M.D., Medical Director of Special Projects at UHS, and Bobbie Speight, RHIT, CTR, Coordinator of Registry Services, the team looks for avenues to not only address individual patients' pathologies but also develop overall protocols that improve channels of care. At UHS Vestal, a new facility that is home to the UHS Breast Center, imaging and certain other oncological special procedure capabilities are all housed under one roof. Breast imaging services are being shaped to guide a woman who comes in for a routine mammogram to a biopsy the same day should the annual screening uncover a suspicious area. In the same vein, patients who undergo a chest X-ray as a means of screening for lung cancer will soon be able to — if the screening tool reveals an abnormality — immediately undergo a computed axial tomography scan on the same day and then see a pulmonologist at UHS within one week. In addition, communication between the providers extends outside the tumor boards. Specialists recently added a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-approved instant messaging program to their means of collaboration. When, for instance, a pathologist is reviewing a patient's biopsy, he or she can reach out to an oncologist in real time, gather additional clinical information about the patient and gain the colleague's perspective. The revitalization of the tumor boards and the renewed focus on the patient's support structure outside the curative therapies has been a pursuit of Dr. Hayes since arriving at UHS in 2004. He has twice received the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer's Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award, in 2006 and 2010. As Dr. Hayes explains, thanks to the efforts of each team member, the cancer services at UHS have grown from good to excellent and now are being further developed to exceed national standards of cancer care. "All of the changes we have made have been based on good science that not only is externally validated and conforming to national standards, but also is considered to be cutting-edge," says Dr. Hayes. "We are attempting to make UHS into the kind of cancer program that serves all of the region's cancer patients without a need for them to seek higher-level care in the major cit- ies, to which they have previously been drawn. We should be able to provide it all right here. We are doing that, and we intend to improve it." For more information about the cancer ser- vices at UHS, visit www.uhs.net/cancer-care. s

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