Navigating health care can be difficult and confusing. After going years without medical screenings or primary care, many of our new patients express fear around the entire process. From an initial phone call and appointment to multiple referrals and overwhelming medical institutions, many patients can quickly become frustrated. Sometimes, they may even give up on seeking care all together.
Through our new partnership with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), LifeCare Alliance is able to create a smooth and accessible process for cancer treatment.
Until now, LifeCare Alliance has provided cancer screening and diagnostic services independently, partnering with a number of medical and diagnostic professionals over the years – including Arthur G. James, MD, for whom The James is named and who served as medical director of the Columbus Cancer Clinic for more than 33 years. This new partnership with the OSUCCC – James centralizes and streamlines the breast cancer screening and follow-up process for the thousands of women served by LifeCare Alliance annually. Through this partnership, patients will have access to advanced screening mammography tools and an electronic medical record system for follow-up communication and care coordination.
Take, for example, the story of Tesiralyn. A regular patient at LifeCare Alliance Cancer Services, she recently had her annual mammogram, which showed a concerning mass. At that same appointment, our nurse practitioner Kathy Magee was able to schedule a biopsy for Tesiralyn at OSUCCC – James. Tesiralyn said it was a quick process, and within five minutes she had an appointment time and directions. Thanks to the partnership, she got the care she needed in an easy, streamlined, and unintimidating manner.
When she showed up for her breast screening, she was happy to see a familiar face. Tami Crum, the mammographer from LifeCare Alliance, was at OSUCCC – James that day to perform her screening. Tesiralyn had started the day anxious and concerned, but Tami talked her through the process, calming her down and gently performing her screening. Tesiralyn says she didn’t even feel a pinch!
Luckily, her screenings came back as cancer-free. Thanks to the partnership between OSUCCC – James and LifeCare Alliance, she was able to have a smooth experience filled with people she knew and trusted performing her screenings.
“I’m so thankful,” she says. “LifeCare Alliance accommodates me and schedules me. You are so friendly. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Additional Articles from the October 2024 Newsletter
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