Focused on the patient - Baylor Health Care System
Focused on the patient - Baylor Health Care System
Focused on the patient - Baylor Health Care System
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32<str<strong>on</strong>g>Focused</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> collaborati<strong>on</strong> and educati<strong>on</strong><strong>on</strong>cology, mammography, radiati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>cology,surgical <strong>on</strong>cology, clinical research,and plastic surgery so that <strong>the</strong>y are fullyprepared to treat <strong>patient</strong>s with breast cancer.R<strong>on</strong>ald C. J<strong>on</strong>es, MD, chief of surgeryat <strong>Baylor</strong> Dallas, is program director.The Darlene G. Cass Women’sImaging Center is located in<strong>Baylor</strong> Dallas’ newest facility,<strong>the</strong> <strong>Baylor</strong> Medical Pavilli<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong><strong>the</strong> <strong>Baylor</strong> Dallas campus. Thenew center provides ease ofaccess for <strong>patient</strong>s and timelycommunicati<strong>on</strong> beween referringphysicians and radiologyspecialists.The most recent fellowship programfocuses <strong>on</strong> breast imaging. This programbegan in 1992 to provide board-certifieddiagnostic radiologists with specializedtraining in screening, diagnostic, andinterventi<strong>on</strong>al breast imaging proceduresand research. The <strong>Baylor</strong> UniversityMedical Center at Dallas Darlene G. CassWomen’s Imaging Center performs morethan 50,000 mammograms and interventi<strong>on</strong>al procedures annually. Working with radiologists<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> medical staff at <strong>Baylor</strong> Dallas, fellows are trained in <strong>the</strong> performance of breast physicalexaminati<strong>on</strong>, screening and diagnostic mammography, breast s<strong>on</strong>ography, wire localizati<strong>on</strong>,specimen mammography, cyst aspirati<strong>on</strong>, image-guided needle biopsy of solid lesi<strong>on</strong>s,galactography, and breast magnetic res<strong>on</strong>ance imaging. Thomas Langer, MD, a radiologist<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> medical staff at <strong>Baylor</strong> Dallas, is program director for this fellowship.The multidisciplinary members of <strong>the</strong> Department of Oncology agree that teaching fellowsand residents improves <strong>patient</strong> care.Dr. Mennel explained it this way: “With a fellowship program, you c<strong>on</strong>stantly have peopleasking questi<strong>on</strong>s about why you’re doing something in a certain way. That means you haveto keep thinking about whe<strong>the</strong>r that’s <strong>the</strong> appropriate way to be practicing or <strong>the</strong> appropriatething to do.” The teaching comp<strong>on</strong>ent keeps all <strong>the</strong> physicians focused <strong>on</strong> lifel<strong>on</strong>g learning,since new informati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>stantly changes <strong>the</strong> practice of <strong>on</strong>cology.Site-Specific C<strong>on</strong>ferencesby Z. H. Lieberman, MDDr. Z.H. LiebermanHistorically, most cancer centers utilize multidisciplinary c<strong>on</strong>ferences in <strong>the</strong> planning of <strong>the</strong>care of <strong>the</strong> <strong>on</strong>cology <strong>patient</strong>. The <strong>Baylor</strong> Charles A. Samm<strong>on</strong>s Cancer Center holds 240site-specific c<strong>on</strong>ferences per year, with case discussi<strong>on</strong>s of about 800 <strong>patient</strong>s. Individualc<strong>on</strong>ferences focus <strong>on</strong> b<strong>on</strong>e and soft tissue, breast, chest, skin, head and neck, <strong>the</strong> endocrinesystem, <strong>the</strong> gastrointestinal system, neurology, urology, gynecology, and hematopoieticdiseases. Attendance has grown each year to more than 6,000 attendees in 2007,including representati<strong>on</strong> from multiple medical disciplines as well as fellows, residents,interns, nurses, and allied health professi<strong>on</strong>als (see Table).