Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Sacred Heart Cancer Center Announces Affiliation with M. D. Anderson Cancer Manager® Program
Pensacola, Fla. – Sacred Heart Health System announced today that it has formed an affiliation with M. D. Anderson Physicians Network® to further enhance the level of cancer care available to eligible patients in Northwest Florida and Baldwin County, Ala.
M. D. Anderson Physicians Network is an affiliate of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, a research driven institute that is consistently ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the nation’s top two cancer treatment centers. Because of the excellent care that Sacred Heart and its physicians already provide, M. D. Anderson Physicians Network selected Sacred Heart as an ally in the fight against cancer.
Dr. David Tubergen, medical director of M. D. Anderson Physicians Network, said Sacred Heart is one of only six healthcare systems in the nation and the only one in Northwest Florida to provide services under the M. D. Anderson Cancer Manager® program. The program is a full-service oncology disease management program. It provides patients enrolled in the program with access to more than 100 detailed regimens for the diagnosis and treatment of almost every type and stage of cancer.
“It is an honor to be selected as an affiliate of this most prestigious cancer treatment leader,” said Patrick J. Madden, president and CEO of Sacred Heart Health System. “It is a tribute to the excellent work and reputation of our physicians and staff. Only excellent cancer programs are approved for affiliation with M. D. Anderson Physicians Network. We look forward to sharing in the wealth of research and clinical expertise available through this program. We are taking our community’s fight against cancer to a new level.”
Following a three-month implementation period, eligible patients at Sacred Heart will have access to M. D. Anderson’s guidelines and innovative treatments.
“Ultimately, our mission is to eliminate cancer,” said Tubergen. “We want to give hospitals around the country the tools they need to bring the highest standard of cancer care to their communities. Sacred Heart Health System is a perfect ally to help us achieve this goal.”
Sacred Heart’s cancer program has undergone a rigorous review of standards and practices to ensure it meets M. D. Anderson’s standards of care. Participating physicians are going through a lengthy credentialing process, including an assessment of the physicians’ office practices and a medical record review, which will allow Sacred Heart’s physicians to be credentialed into M. D. Anderson Physicians Network.
"This affiliation will enhance the services available to patients by providing additional resources and technology to our physicians, enabling them to offer the latest evidence-based treatment guidelines using the M. D. Anderson multidisciplinary treatment process.” said Dr. Joanne Bujnoski, medical director of the James Baroco Cancer Center at Sacred Heart Hospital.
Patients will have access through the M. D. Anderson Cancer Manager® program to Sacred Heart physicians who follow the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center guidelines for treating cancer. However, if the need arises for a patient to travel to Houston for care, Sacred Heart’s affiliation with M. D. Anderson Physicians Network provides unique support services to ease that transition. Those services include: scheduling of timely appointments, meeting patients upon their arrival at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and escorting them to appointments, a discount on lodging services in Houston, and personal coordination of other aspects of medical care.
About Sacred Heart Health System
Celebrating its 90th year, Sacred Heart Health System has established itself as Northwest Florida’s most preferred hospital and its leader in providing high quality health care to children and adults. Key services of the 449-bed hospital in Pensacola include: a Regional Heart and Vascular Institute, Children’s and Women’s Hospital, a Level II Trauma Center, Cancer Center, a home health agency, a 120-bed nursing home and a network of primary care doctors that stretches from Foley, Alabama to Panama City Beach, Florida. In 2003, the Health System also added Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, a 50-bed community hospital near Destin. Sacred Heart provides cancer patients with advanced technologies such as a PET/CT for detecting cancer and IMRT for state-of-the-art radiation therapy. Sacred Heart also offers the services of board certified oncologists, radiation oncologists and a gynecologic oncologist in Pensacola. In Baldwin County, Sacred Heart provides medical oncology services through the services of its new Medical Oncology Group location in Malbis. For more information, call 850-416-7000 or visit www.sacred-heart.org.
About M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Located in Houston, Texas, on the sprawling campus of the Texas Medical Center, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is one of the world’s most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer care, research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson was founded in 1941 and has treated more than 600,000 patients. This year, about 75,000 patients will seek treatment at M. D. Anderson, with more than half those patients traveling from outside Texas. A research-driven institute, M. D. Anderson ranks first in the number of research grants awarded by the National Cancer Institute, boasting ten programs recognized by the NCI as Specialized Programs of Research Excellence.
Media Contacts:
Mike Burke, Sacred Heart Health System, 850-416-6304
Brigid Pace, M.D. Anderson Physicians Network, 713-745-9607
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