At the Eliana Center, we are proud of the careful, comprehensive follow-up care we provide our patients. Our extensive follow-up services are designed to maximize a prompt return to normal activity and, at the same time, to closely monitor the patient for a possible recurrence or new malignancies.

We always keep the patient's primary care physician "in the loop" in terms of the status and progress of treatment.

The Eliana Center provides an entire range of supportive services, pain management, physical therapy, nutritional support, rehabilitation services, and psychological and emotional support. In addition, the services of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing are available to assist patients recovering from lung and other thoracic cancers.

Patients recovering from major surgical procedures are generally able to perform the normal activities of daily living, such as routine personal care and meal preparation. For patients who require more care following surgery, the clinical team works with our social work department to create a discharge plan. This plan may encompass home nursing needs, medications and treatments, housekeeping needs, physical therapy and rehabilitation.

The first follow-up visit is usually one or two weeks after discharge. Subsequent visits are generally scheduled at longer intervals. These follow-up visits include an examination and a review of progress. For these visits, the physician will usually request a new chest X-ray or, occasionally, a CT scan to enable him to evaluate the patient's recovery.

In general, six months after treatment for thoracic malignancies, doctors will request a new CT scan. Patients are seen by a surgeon every six to 12 months. Of course, if additional treatments are undertaken, or if the patient is participating in a clinical trial, this general schedule may not apply. Patients who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation therapy will have continual care by these physicians, depending on the type of treatment and ongoing need.

Patient Navigation at the Eliana Center

From the first sign of an abnormality, patients can experience an enormous amount of pre-treatment testing. This level of testing continues through the confirmation of a diagnosis and preparation for multimodal treatment, which is distributed across various disciplines or among a range of providers. Some testing procedures are complex and unpleasant for the patient. Among the most common tests are MRIs, CAT scans, and stress tests in nuclear medicine. In addition, bronchoscopies, esophagoscopies, and mediastinoscopies must often be completed before main treatment begins. Coordination of care, and attentive care, are critical to creating positive patient experiences. Carefully coordinated care is also essential to
ensuring timely procedures throughout the treatment process, and, ultimately, to promote better outcomes. To ensure that this fundamental aspect of optimal treatment is provided,
the Eliana Center has hired a dedicated patient navigator. The key functions of the patient navigator are:

• Serve as a single contact for each patient throughout his or her treatment process
• Act as liaison for the patient with other professionals in the treatment process
• Provide the patient with information about resources in other areas of support such as pain management, stress reduction instruction, nutrition counseling, family counseling, and financial counseling.

The Eliana Center is very pleased to have as our Patient Navigator Ms.Patricia Stacey, a longtime member of the Continuum Cancer Centers staff. Ms. Stacey was administrator for the Radiation/Oncology and Hematology/Oncology Departments at Beth Israel Medical Center and then Roosevelt Hospital for a total of 15 years. She is a former radiation oncology therapist who is thoroughly familiar with the Continuum Cancer Centers and the needs of thoracic oncology patients. Ms. Stacey lost her own father to lung cancer. In her role as Patient Navigator, she sees herself as not only expediting procedures, but as humanizing the process — providing emotional and psychological support for the patients and easing pressures on the medical staff. An important part of her interaction with patients is simply listening. Ms. Stacey consults closely with Stewart B. Fleishman, MD, director of Continuum’s Cancer Supportive Services (CSS). Dr. Fleishman is a psychiatrist with a specialty in oncology. The CSS staff includes a pain management specialist, social workers, an oncology nutritionist, and a chaplain. As Patient Navigator, Ms. Stacey will encourage Eliana Center patients to use CSS services, thus helping them develop effective coping strategies and enabling them to be active partners in their own care.