We wanted to be part of the Oncology Care Model simply because we want to be on
the forefront of how oncology care is delivered in the future. We've always
focused on quality in this practice, so we wanted to keep that momentum going
and to improve patient care and OCM has given us the resources to do that.
With the Oncology Care Model it's very much the team approach. I'm part of the
team including the physician the advanced practitioners, the patients from the
beginning have a care plan, they know what their disease process is, they know
what their treatment entails, having access to their physicians twenty four
seven all of that is super important and has increased quality of care since the
Oncology Care Model.
OCM focuses on a team approach to care, it's not just about the patient's cancer
it's about the patient. And OCM has allowed us to put this philosophy into daily
practice. It makes us more accountable, and all of our team members have to come
together to be successful in this program.
One of the most special parts of being the patient's Nurse Case Manager is that
I?m their person. They know that I'm on their team, they know they can call me,
they know that there's nothing that they can't say to me. They can cry they can
celebrate they can ask the questions they are afraid to ask . . . to be their, not
only their liaison but their advocate and part of being a Nurse Case Manager is,
a huge part of that is being their advocate.
It's a very caring and compassionate people that work here. I really love the
Case Manager. I can call her and talk to her any time I have any problems. They
helped me get through my husband's death. They referred me to Hospice and Sherri
has helped me greatly going through his death. Know what to expect, what to do.
I've worked with many patients over the years through the OCM program, one that
comes to mind is Nancy. Her husband was also a patient of mine and then he
unfortunately died of stage four gastric cancer. That was very difficult for all
of us to see and for Nancy to go through, but despite that she continued on with
her cancer journey through using some of the psycho-social support services that
we were able to provide for her.
My husband was diagnosed with cancer so both of us came together, and sat next
to each other upstairs in the treatment room and pretty much there for each
other. And it was just awesome care for both of us. Unfortunately his cancer was
stage four and he only lived for twelve months, but they were there with me
through the whole time.
In the beginning of the model it was about getting these processes and
implementing some of these things, such as care plan visits and survivorship
visits and depression screenings but ultimately it was about risk
stratification, which patients are going to have the most issues and which
patients need that intervention. So we went from looking at data to then looking
at overall care and how we can improve it.
They usually tell you, for my type of cancer, this is the treatment that they're
gonna offer to me. And they give me a book and it tells me all the side effects
that's gonna happen to it. Tells me if I'm gonna loose my hair . . . what medicines I
need to take, precautions, what foods to eat. They send me to a nutritionist
that works here at the Center, all that is gone over with Dr. Ganesa. I have
stomach cancer as well as I had ovarian cancer. It made me very proud to be able
to make a decision on my treatment. Don't put your cancer treatments off if
you're a newly diagnosed patient let them treat you as fast as possible. Ask a
lot of questions, go on the internet look up your . . . look up your treatment. I
looked up my treatment, what the side effects were, what other treatments you can
have. Ask around and ask other people at the Center that are going through the
treatments because they will give you information you're not aware of, because
it's amazing. They offer psychiatric treatment, they offer nutritional
information here, and I love the support that I get from the nurses and the
doctors here.
Everybody came together and listened to the patient about her goals of care, and
that she wanted quality of life and what she wanted out of her life.
OCM is a different care model, what's exciting is that it completely changes the
way we think of patients. It's a Medical Home model, and a Medical Home model
really changes our sense of what all we are responsible for in that patient. So
it goes back to not just treating the patient's cancer but treating the entire
patient.
I think the OCM model is going to, not only catch on and spread because it's to
increase quality of care, it's for cost savings. If we can increase quality of
care, limit, decrease, or even eliminate ER visits, hospitalizations, and ensure
that Medicare is there for future generations, that's a win win for everybody.