You. First.
Our mission statement is simple: You. First. It shapes the way we care for you and communicate with you. It guides every action we take.
Improve Your Odds
Putting you first isn’t just a feel-good philosophy. It has a direct impact on the effectiveness of your treatment. When we commit to meeting rigorous national standards through initiatives like QOPI®, your chances for a good outcome improve. When we help you handle chemotherapy, pay for cancer meds and manage side effects, it keeps treatment on track, enhancing the odds of survival.
Our unique model of care is built on five best practices:
1. Shared decision-making
2. Prompt management of complications
3. Care for body, mind and spirit
4. Proactive financial assistance
5. Focus on quality of life
Shared Decision-Making
Control over your treatment belongs to you. Most people have more than one treatment option, and your voice is the most important one in the room. We’ll lay out your options and discuss how they line up with your needs when it comes to the goals of treatment, side effects, impact on quality of life and other considerations.
Prompt Management of Complications
Side effects aren’t just unpleasant; they can also prevent you from getting the treatment you need on time. We take a proactive approach to keep you on track. Before treatment begins, we make sure you know what complications may arise and call you on the third day of treatment to check in and see if any adjustments are needed.
You can call us 24/7. If you need to be seen, you can come in that day or the next. When issues are managed quickly, your treatment goes more smoothly, and you’re able to get the rest and nutrition you need. You also avoid trips to the emergency room or a hospital admission, heading off infection and unnecessary expense.
Mind, BODY & Spirit
Here, we see you as a whole person, not a diagnosis. We take care of you physically and emotionally, knowing that cancer hits hard in more ways than one. Treatment isn’t just about medicines that fight cancer and other diseases. It’s also about holistic therapies that support all aspects of your well-being.
We offer a free “prehabilitation” program for patients and caregivers to help you prepare for and tolerate treatment. Focused on mind and body, it includes chair yoga, exercise, meditation and Reiki. Our health coach provides nutritional guidance and healthful recipes. Clinical hypnotherapy is available to help you relax during treatment.
Proactive Financial Assistance
The high cost of prescriptions can cause people to skip chemotherapy or opt out completely. So, we make sure that’s not an issue. At your first visit, you’ll be told to set aside your financial worries. Then we follow up with tangible action, finding funding to offset the cost of treatment.
Our goal is to reduce your out-of-pocket costs to zero. Over a five-year period, we’ve saved patients over 9 million dollars.
Quality of Life
What does quality of life mean to you? It’s different for every person, and that’s the point. It’s one of the first things we’ll talk about, and your answer will help shape your treatment plan. Treatment can be scheduled around other priorities; pain medication can be adjusted around the needs of daily life.
When you’re not feeling well, little things can make a big difference. Our Blesie Tree Foundation helps boost spirits with small acts of kindness, providing patients with surprises like gift cards for restaurants, massage salons or gas stations.
Patient Bill of Rights
In all aspects of our practice, we adhere to the Patient’s Bill of Rights, originally passed in 1997 by a Presidential Advisory Commission. This measure establishes a sound foundation for the quality of doctor-patient relationships, addresses patients’ rights to good care and obligates patients to take an active part in managing their own health.
As a patient, you have the right to:
1. Understand your diagnosis and have this information explained to you in everyday language.
2. Understand why tests, X-rays and procedures are ordered and how they are going to help you.
3. Understand your options, benefits and risks explained in everyday language.
4. Make the final decision regarding your care.
Better Outcomes
All this adds up to better care, demonstrated by higher survival rates, patient satisfaction rankings and quality and safety scores.