No Waiting With Same Day/Next Day Cancer Care

A cancer diagnosis can be the scariest time of a person’s life. It’s when you need information, guidance and a comforting voice. The cancer team at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute understands and has created Same Day/Next Day Cancer Care to help take the worry away. The program offers newly diagnosed patients a telehealth appointment with an oncology clinician within 48 hours of their initial contact with Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health.

“People have a lot of questions, and waiting for answers can be worse than the actual facts,” says Bradley Lash, MD, Division Chief, Hematology Medical Oncology. “It’s important to have someone to talk to and someone who cares.”

A referral to Same Day/Next Day Cancer Care can come from a variety of places – from a primary care clinician, a surgeon or the emergency department if, for example, a scan shows an abnormality. The program is offered to all patients diagnosed with cancer and those with potential diagnoses, and the majority take advantage of the program.

The Same Day/Next Day team consists of advanced practice clinicians (APCs), who are trained to answer questions and manage the patient’s next steps. The team works closely with the specialists at the nationally known Cancer Institute. Patients benefit from advanced medical techniques, access to the latest clinical trials and a dedicated team focused on recovery. 

Some of the steps the APCs assist with include:

• Scheduling appointments
• Ordering additional testing
• Answering questions
• Organizing medical records
• Connecting patients with resources and support
• Preparing patients for their specialist appointment

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.”