Tips on Choosing a Cancer Center
When you're newly diagnosed with cancer, there is so much going on in your head that it is easy not to know what to do and to go with what others recommend. Yet here are some tips on what you might want to do right away in terms of finding your best care. I wish I knew this when I was diagnosed.
The first thing to do is call your medical insurance company, assuming you are insured. Ask them what your options are for finding a center for treatment. You may have to talk to several people to make sure you are getting the right answers, but this is important enough to put in the effort. Your first priority is to find out where you can go and where you can't.
Also, ask your insurance company if they have any special programs for cancer patients. I didn't ask this and, as a result, didn't know until much later that my insurance contracts Cancer Resources to help coordinate my care. (I was just choosing from my coverage list.) When I talked to Cancer Resources, I found out that they would make sure my insurance covered me if a center of excellence was outside my network, and they would make sure my lodging expenses were reimbursed if I needed to travel more than 50 miles to get that care.
If you live in a major metropolitan area, especially if you have a preferred provider plan, you may find that several cancer centers are open to you. I made my choice based on research reputation, but now that I know more about what cancer treatment is like, I recommend you take a little more time to research your options.
Once you know the options that your insurance allows for, find out what you can about the individual centers:
- Ask
people who have been through cancer what oncologists and surgeons they
recommend, as well as why. Find out where the good doctors practice.
- Find
patients who have used the centers you are considering. Get their opinion
on quality of care, comfort, and staff knowledge. You can solicit
information through email lists, cancer message boards, support groups,
and by asking friends and neighbors. Tell people you want to know what
they loved and hated about the center they chose.
- Contact
cancer centers and arrange for tours. Many centers offer these. If they
don't have a tour, go by and visit to see what the facilities are like.
Are they well-kept? Is the staff friendly? How easy is it to get to?
- Check
lists of top-ranking centers to see how yours rates. One source is U.S.
News & World Report's Best (Cancer) Hospitals of 2006. Also, see
if the National Cancer Institute (NCI) lists it as a "Comprehensive Cancer Center."
Check the NCI-designated
Cancer Center list to see.
- If you have a good relationship with your primary care physician or someone else who is part of the medical establishment, ask their opinion, as well. Remember that doctors and nurses are likely to have a different perspective than patients, but it is all good information.
Finally, don't forget to follow your intuition.
If I had my cancer journey to do over again, would I make the same choices for care? It depends. My center (UCSF) ranks high in research and quality physician staff, at least based on my experience. However, they suffer quite a bit with customer service. The private center I chose for radiation (Alta Bates in Berkeley) is not as well known as UCSF, but their facility and customer service was a dream. So, for leading edge care or complicated cases, I'd suggest UCSF in a flash. For more standard care where you want a minimum of hassle, it's Alta Bates.
Ultimately, it all depends on what you value most and what you believe you can tolerate. I don't know of any center that's great at all aspects of the patient experience, but I bet some get close. If you have a sense of what your center's good points and weak points are when you head into treatment, you'll find you can tolerate a lot more because you know what you are getting.
And remember, while cancer sucks, your cancer center doesn't have to. Explore your options while you have the presence of mind. You'll be glad you did later on.
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