Breast cancer patient Catherine deMille drives 50 miles to the UCLA Breast Center in Santa Monica, but it's worth it - when she arrives, she knows she'll see every doctor on her care team in one visit and that she'll leave with a treatment plan, schedule, and the number of her patient navigator in case she needs assistance with any aspect of her care before her next appointment.
UCLA Breast Center, Santa Monica's approach is unique: on clinic days before patients arrive, a nine-member team, including an oncologist, radiologist, surgeon, radiation oncologist, reconstructive surgeon and pathologist, meet to discuss treatments, scans and test results and collectively determine the best care plan for each patient. Then they rotate into the patient's exam room one at a time for individual meetings.
The team approach to breast cancer care reduces stress for patients like Catherine, and leaves them with more time and energy to focus on getting well.
