Crozer-Keystone Health System announces the opening of the Crozer Medical Plaza and Crozer-Keystone Cancer Center at Brinton Lake, 500 Evergreen Drive in Glen Mills, in November 2011. Joining the Crozer Medical Plaza and the Crozer Health Pavilion at Brinton Lake, the new facility continues to expand patient-care options in western Delaware County.
Located next to the original Crozer Medical Plaza at Brinton Lake at 500 Evergreen Drive, the buildings are connected by a covered walkway. The facility will house a cancer center that will include three separate oncology practices, radiation oncology services and an endoscopy laboratory to care for patients with breast, prostate, GI, lung, skin and other cancers. Crozer-Keystone is part of the Fox Chase Crozer-Keystone Cancer Partnership, and the cancer center will advance that partnership into western Delaware County. The building will also offer several specialty practices in pulmonary medicine, behavioral health, dermatology and more.
For Raymond Vivacqua, M.D., medical director of the Crozer Regional Cancer Center and chief of hematology/oncology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, the new facility builds on the existing presence of his practice, Associates in Hematology and Oncology P.C. in Glen Mills, and offers an all-encompassing cancer-care experience.
“The combination of important cancer-care services and radiation oncology in one facility enhances our ability to treat patients in a more efficient manner,” says Dr. Vivacqua. “Within our practice, we’re offering patient care, clinical research, screening programs for lung cancer, patient advocacy, genetic counseling, research protocols for lung, prostate and breast cancers, and the Proactive Energy Program (or PEP), which helps patients battle side effects of cancer treatments through physical activity and nutrition counseling.”
Consultants in Medical Ontology and Hematology PC will be one of three medical oncology practices at the building. The practice is known for its commitment to the “medical home” model in which the physicians and staff offer a centralized, coordinated home base for cancer patients. “Just like our three other office locations, our Brinton Lake II office is a fully operational Oncology Patient-Centered Medical Home (OPCMH) site as recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance,” says John Sprandio, M.D., medical director of the Delaware County Regional Cancer Center and chief of hematology/oncology at DCMH. “We can now serve a growing patient population with our whole spectrum of OPCMH related cancer-care services.”
Hematology Oncology Associates is opening its fourth office at the Crozer-Keystone Medical Plaza. Oncologist Lee Bogart, M.D., along with Andrew Solan, M.D., and Rashmi Sanjay, M.D., will treat patients there. “We will see patients for regular visits,” says Dr. Bogart, “and there’s an infusion room for chemotherapy.”
In the area of radiation oncology, Brinton Lake II boasts brand-new equipment, including a Varian Linear accelerator, which features rapid-arc technology that improves the speed and precision of intensity-modulated radiation therapy. The machine assists guided radiation therapy with the ability to provide multiple forms of imaging, including cone beam CT scans, radiographic, fluoroscopic and ultrasound—all of which help the radiation oncologist locate a tumor more accurately.
“You don’t get more state-of-the-art than this,” says Rachelle Lanciano, M.D., chief of radiation oncology at DCMH. “We also have a completely new treatment-planning system that is Internet based, so we can share resources and work cooperatively. Our new record and verify systems bring the practice up to date with the latest generation of electronic medical records.”
The new building will feature an endoscopy suite for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal problems, including colonoscopy for the detection of potentially cancerous polyps. Crozer Gastroenterology Associates, led by Michael Farber, M.D., has set up shop in the new building to provide these services. Anesthesiologist Cynthia Dombkoski, M.D., will serve as co-medical director of the endoscopy suite along with Dr. Farber, who is looking forward to the opportunity to open up his practice to new patients.
“We’ve expanded our availability and accessibility, with physicians on site five days a week,” says Dr. Farber. “We’ve added hours on Saturdays to further accommodate our working patients. This also helps our patients avoid having to go to a hospital for an endoscopy—they can get the test done in a purely outpatient setting.”
All of the new technology within the Crozer Medical Plaza and Crozer-Keystone Cancer Center at Brinton Lake, coupled with the experienced team of doctors working in the facility, makes a full-service department for cancer care. Furthermore, the building’s unique layout and design, which streamline communication among physicians and between physicians and patients, will only enhance the facility’s ability to provide exceptional care.
“On a national basis, the current recommendations in cancer care are for a multidisciplinary approach with all of the specialists interacting in a timely fashion,” says William Powlis, M.D., chief of radiation oncology at Crozer. “This facility will certainly help move us toward this goal.”
For more information about the Crozer-Keystone Medical Plaza and Regional Cancer Center at Brinton Lake, contact 855-CKHS-4BL (855-254-7425) or visit http://brintonlake.crozerkeystone.org.
Assured of Excellence
Women have been receiving top-notch cancer care at the Crozer-Keystone Health System for decades, and now the Breast Centers at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Delaware County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) have been recognized on a national scale by accreditation from the independent nonprofit Joint Commission. In fact, the health system is leading the way: DCMH was the first hospital in the state and the fifth in the nation to receive this distinction. Crozer achieved the accreditation not long after DCMH and was among one of the first four in the state.
“I think what this acknowledgment does for patients and the Center is that it establishes a certain level of excellence,” says Thomas Matulewski, M.D., medical director of the Center for Breast Health at DCMH in Drexel Hill. “What it should mean for the patients we serve is that we have this major commitment to this area, so they can feel within their community that they are being treated appropriately and don’t have to travel extensively to get the same high standard of care accepted throughout the country.”
Even for an outstanding health center, applying for accreditation is not an easy procedure. “It’s a rigorous auditing and inspection process that requires a certain degree of performance and technical skill as well as technologic instrumentation,” says Dr. Vivacqua.
Visiting inspectors performed a thorough review of all of the departments involved, from radiation to the operating room. “They spent time with patients to find out how they felt about their care and how they were treated by staff—not just myself but by nurse navigators, radiologists, oncologists and others,” says Dr. Matulewski.
“When they inspect, they’re looking for enhanced coordination, communication, patient engagement and patient education,” says John Sprandio, M.D., medical director of the Delaware County Regional Cancer Center and chief of hematology/oncology at DCMH. “They looked closely at our surgical results, our breast care coordinator, and our diagnostic radiology and pathology services. These departments have all worked in a highly collaborative way for the past five or six years, so we view this honor as recognition of what we’ve been doing, and it’s been great to have that validation.”
Crozer surgeon Mary Lou Patton, M.D., views the accreditation as the natural next link in a chain of recognitions. “At Crozer, we have had a breast panel to review patient cases for 24 years—long before it was commonplace to have a breast panel in hospitals,” she says. “We have previously been recognized by the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Radiology, so all of this lets people in the community know that we are truly a center of excellence.
“With our breast cancer panel, the whole team looks at each patient who has an abnormality present and makes a decision for seamless care in a friendly manner,” she adds. “It’s like we’re all spokes in a wheel, making the patient the center of our care.”
What accreditation means for Crozer or DCMH patients is more peace of mind during a difficult time. “To be diagnosed with breast cancer is an overwhelming emotional experience—probably more emotional than any other cancer I’ve dealt with,” Dr. Matulewski says. “The patient has a sense of loss, fear of what’s in store, and a worry about losing her identity as a woman. Because we are certified by several agencies she can rest assured that we meet certain standards and our outcomes are as good as they are anywhere across the country. She can be confident that she will have access to the latest treatment options provided by people who understand state-of-the-art thinking in the management of breast cancer.”
Dr. Sprandio believes that accreditation is part of an overall shift in health care, as medical centers adapt process improvement and transparency. “I think there will be other centers in the area that will be recognized, but once again, we’re ahead of the curve. The world is moving to a model of transparency and demonstration of clinical outcomes, with people getting care based on their unique, specific needs. I think we will continue to see it and it will be interesting to watch the evolution of care over the next 15 years—and measure our process of continuous improvement.”
Dr. Patton, who has been at Crozer for more than 25 years, says, “As a surgeon, it’s wonderful to know that I can go to any department that provides breast care, knowing that they’re all certified and will give patients the best treatment available.”
To request an appointment with a Crozer-Keystone cancer specialist, or to learn more about CKHS cancer services, call 866-695-HOPE (866-695-4673) or visit http://ckcancer.crozerkeystone.org.
