Cancer treatment can be intense and span many years – requiring regular physician visits for chemotherapy and follow-up care. That’s why it’s critical for patients to obtain personalized care from a community oncology practice, close to home.
Here are five reasons why a community oncology practice like Oncology Hematology Associates (OHA) is your best choice for cancer care.
- Personalized care. Cancer care is complex and there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. At a community oncology practice, the physicians and nurses take the time to get to know each patient and understand their unique needs – treatment is customized for the individual patient.
- Convenient location. Community oncology practices are located in communities close to where you and your caregivers live and work. Every minute saved commuting to treatment is more time for you. OHA has an in-house laboratory, pathology and pharmacy services, reducing the need for trips to multiple locations and making it easier to access vital treatments and start them promptly.
- Care for the whole patient. Community oncology practices can provide all types of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy and oral medications to treat cancer, as well as care management services to assist patients throughout treatment and beyond with symptom management, nutrition, social work, and other needs to help treat the whole person, not just the cancer.
- Cutting-edge care. Patients deserve access to the latest treatment advances. Most cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. are now studied in clinical trials conducted in community oncology practices. Patients expect innovative treatment options; community oncology gives them access to that.
- Affordable care. In addition to providing a comfortable, more personalized environment, community oncology practices provide high-quality, state-of-the-art care at a lower cost to patients and payers. According to a 2016 Milliman study[1], patients who had their chemotherapy delivered entirely in a hospital outpatient setting incurred between 34 and 42 percent higher costs than patients whose chemotherapy was delivered within a community oncology setting.
Cancer care is complex. Keeping patients close to their homes, families and support networks lessen these burdens. At OHA, we strive to provide the best possible patient experience – providing exceptional cancer care, close to home.
[1] Community Oncology Alliance “Fact Sheet: What is Community Oncology”, www.communityoncology.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/What-is-Comm-Onc.pdf 2017