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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – SCHAUMBURG, IL (June 30, 2011) – Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) announced today its launch of CareEdgeSM, a personalized cancer evaluation for patients that includes a full suite of diagnostics, clinical team consultations, and a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan, all delivered within five business days and at a single, predetermined price. The new service is an important advance in care delivery: comparable evaluations at other hospitals may take several weeks and also require individual bills for each service.
CareEdge is currently available to patients with breast, colon, lung, prostate and rectal cancers. The service includes a full array of tests needed to stage and diagnose a patient’s cancer and prepare a personalized care plan. Patients consult with a dedicated care team that includes an oncologist, nutritionist, naturopathic physician, as well as surgical and radiation oncologists and other allied health experts based on the individual needs of each patient. CTCA guarantees that if the diagnostic evaluation and treatment plan are not completed within five business days due to the complexity of a case or need for more tests, the patient will be able to complete their evaluation at CTCA at no cost.
“Cancer patients often wait weeks for test results, and the lost time can increase anxiety and work against them in their cancer fight,” said Steve Bonner, president and CEO of CTCA. “CareEdge is designed around what we know patients value most: rapid answers, personalized, quality care, and a commitment to their needs, not the needs of the healthcare system. CareEdge embodies the CTCA promise to empower patients with information to make healthcare decisions that help them achieve their life and health goals.”
CareEdge complements the CTCA Patient Empowered Care ®model, which brings a multidisciplinary care team to the patient in a series of consecutive appointments. This approach offers patients greater comfort, convenience and quality time with their doctors. Patients receive all the time they need with their care teams, which ensures that they better understand their cancer, treatment options and care plan.
Diagnostic evaluations at other cancer facilities usually require visits to multiple locations over several weeks, generating several bills for patients and their families to manage during an already stressful time. CTCA offers patients all needed diagnostic services, the quality care and personal attention of an integrated care team, plus a comprehensive treatment plan, all within one facility. Additionally, the CareEdge streamlined billing process delivers all charges in a single, comprehensive bill, reducing administrative costs. The service eliminates waiting time for insurance approval because the price is set in advance.
“Waiting is the hardest thing for me to do, so waiting for results or appointments when it came to my cancer wasn’t an option,” said Stephanie Kaminoff, a colon cancer patient from Strasburg, PA. “At CTCA there was no waiting, and the three day evaluation gave me a chance to meet with everyone I needed to right away. It was the perfect way to kickoff my battle with cancer, and it helped me get a game plan in motion so I could get started with my treatment as soon as possible.”
In a recent survey of 300 cancer patients, nearly 60 percent viewed the CareEdge model as a major improvement in cancer treatment.[1] CareEdge will expand to include evaluation for patients with all cancer types by the end of 2011. CTCA is also planning to introduce a similarly structured program for cancer treatment in the next two years.
“The healthcare industry is looking for higher quality and better value,” said Mr. Bonner. “There is not enough clarity on quality of care and price to allow patients and other consumers to make the wisest choices, or to enourage providers to compete based on their quality and price. We hope that CareEdge will encourage more transparency in oncology, allow patients to seek services based on quality, price and value. And contribute to a much more effective healthcare industry.”
For more information about CareEdge or CTCA, go to www.cancercenter.com.
About Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a growing network of regional destination hospitals specializing in complex and advance-stage cancer care. CTCA provides a comprehensive, fully integrated and individualized cancer treatment experience at hospitals located in suburban Chicago, Philadelphia, suburban Phoenix and Tulsa. The Patient Empowered CareSM model at CTCA places patients at the center of their care, encouraging and enabling patients and their families to take an active role in treatment decision-making. For more information about CTCA, visit www.cancercenter.com.
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