Massey Cancer Center's One-Stop Clinics improve the entire cancer treatment process in Richmond

By Andrea Butler
Massey Cancer Center

RICHMOND, Va. (July 7, 2004) - Cancer patients in Central Virginia now have access to a model treatment program designed and championed by medical professionals at VCU's Massey Cancer Center.

Under the multi-disciplinary clinic concept, patients are treated under one roof in one afternoon with an entire team of specialists coordinating their care.

"Patients no longer need to drive from the oncologist to the radiology lab to the surgeon's office to the hospital thanks to our novel treatment program," says Dr. Jon Kiev, a thoracic surgeon at Massey Cancer Center. "Our patient-centric model makes it as easy as possible for patients to access all facets of the care they need and get on the road to recovery."

For example, here's how a typical chest tumor clinic works at Massey:

1. Surgeons, oncologists, nurses, radiologists and other specialists - on average about 10 people - meet to review patient records and any images available. Using high-tech visual displays, they review the information together and discuss possible treatment plans.

2. Immediately following the meeting, the doctors examine the patients whose records they just reviewed, make diagnosis and recommendations. Some patients are newly referred; others are in for follow-up visits.

3. Then the nurses schedule any requested lab work and arrange for prescriptions to be filled - all on site the same afternoon.

"In addition to making visits as easy on cancer patients as possible, Massey offers the latest treatments, technologies and trials," says Dr. Kiev. "While our ultimate goal is to cure cancer, we will continue serving patients with high levels of care until then."

The chest tumor clinic team also includes Dr. Sherman Baker, a thoracic oncologist; Dr. Theodore Chung, a radiation oncologist; Drs. Leonard Moses and Wes Sheperd, interventional pulmonologists; Drs. Mark Parker and Dan Henry, two of the three fellowship-trained thoracic radiologists in the Commonwealth; Dr. James Brooks, a thoracic surgeon; Kristie Willis, RN, an oncology clinical nurse specialist who oversees all patient care; and several other nurses and specialists.