Ochsner Lafayette General has opened the first multi-disciplinary breast clinic in Acadiana, allowing breast cancer patients to see all of their specialists on the same day.
According to Oschner Health, the clinic coordinates care across medical oncology, radiation oncology, and breast surgery. Doctors meet ahead of time to develop a single, unified treatment plan before presenting it to the patient, eliminating the need to travel to multiple appointments over several weeks.
One oncologist at the clinic says the approach is designed to reduce the burden on patients at one of the most stressful moments of their lives.
"When a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer, there is a lot of anxiety and stress that comes along with this," said Elizabeth LeJeune, M.D. "With the introduction of the multidisciplinary clinic, we hope to ease a patient's anxiety, stress, and worry by offering them the opportunity in one day to meet their entire treatment team, develop a coordinated, individualized treatment plan, and ultimately get them on the road to cure faster," she said.
The clinic mirrors the care model used at major cancer centers, including MD Anderson. It's open Mondays and Tuesdays at the Cancer Center of Acadiana.