With spots clocked into clinicians’ schedules, there is availability built into the Same Day/Next Day program. Guided by their APC, patients can be assured they’re seeing the right clinician for their situation. Taking on tasks such as scheduling a biopsy moves the process along and relieves the primary care clinician from having to order one. In addition, any additional testing before the patient’s first appointment with the specialist can be completed.
“We don’t want patients to arrive at their first appointment with a cancer specialist and find out they need more scans or tests,” Dr. Lash says. “So, when patients have their first specialist visit, they can get right to the heart of the matter with answers to questions like, ‘What’s the cancer stage?’ and ‘What’s my prognosis?’”
Dr. Lash describes Same Day/Next Day Cancer Care as highly patient-friendly.
“A cancer diagnosis is a very scary time, so it’s important to get in to see the right clinician in a timely manner,” he says. “If we can do anything to put people at ease – such as getting biopsies scheduled and getting tests done – it’s a great thing. It’s putting patients first.”