Dr. Linyee Chang starts thinking about how to best treat her patients long before they are diagnosed with cancer.
The radiation oncologist at St. Charles Health System is helping to lead local efforts to improve treatment and outcomes for cancer patients through a new concept known as the Centers of Care. The idea starts by looking at healthy Central Oregonians and determining how best to keep them healthy through regular screenings and preventative care. If tests show potential problems, patients are guided through diagnosis, treatment and survivorship before being returned to the healthy state where they began the journey.
“Our target audience is the general population,” Chang said. “It’s exciting because we are doing work along the entire continuum of care and all of it is evidence-based.”
A healthy person living in Central Oregon may not give much thought to his or her risks for various types of cancer. But, Chang said, by working with primary care physicians, the St. Charles Cancer Center of Care educates all patients about healthy behaviors that can reduce their chances of developing cancer and screening tests they should receive in order to catch any abnormalities early on.
As an example, the St. Charles Cancer Committee has developed a chart outlining cancer screening guidelines from nationally recognized organizations including the American Cancer Society and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Copies of the chart were distributed to every primary care physician in the region so they can quickly refer to the guidelines when evaluating which tests their patients might need.
“The cancer screening guidelines are a concise resource that will help providers in counseling their patients on the current recommendations for specific cancer screening,” said Dr. Jeff Absalon, Chief Physician Executive for St. Charles Health System, and a primary care physician. “The concise guideline summary is also a perfect example of what should be an increased effort by specialists, as well as primary care providers, to place emphasis on screening and prevention, not just treatment of disease.”
At a glance, physicians giving a woman over the age of 50 a physical are reminded that she should be receiving annual mammograms and that she should have had a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer. The chart shows which tests are covered by Medicare and also provides helpful reminders about healthy lifestyles like avoiding tobacco and alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight and protecting skin from sun exposure.
In addition to working with primary care physicians, Chang explained that the Center of Care concept includes radiologists, oncologists, surgeons, nurse navigators, survivorship coordinators and more. Through their affiliation with St. Charles Health System, the medical providers associated with the Cancer Center of Care have agreed to follow the treatment guidelines that are nationally recognized as producing quality outcomes for patients.
“Within this new system, you know that we will be working with you to keep you healthy, but that if you get sick, you will get the best care possible with the goal of transitioning you back to health,” Chang said. “This Centers of Care model is a very exciting first step in our transformation into a health care system that is truly focused on the health of our population.”
St. Charles Health System, 2500 N.E. Neff Road, Bend, OR 97701, 541-382-4321, www.scmc.org.
