University Hospitals Lung Cancer Center of Excellence+

What is a Center of Excellence+?

At UH, we define Center of Excellence+ (COE+) as a program established to supply an exceptionally high concentration of expertise and related resources centered on a particular area of medicine. A COE+ strives for value, optimal clinical outcomes, a positive patient experience, and lower costs for both patients and employers. Medical appropriateness criteria is utilized to avoid unnecessary testing and treatment. This ensures UH patients are receiving the right care at the right time, therefore cutting out unnecessary costs, and providing exceptional quality. Medical appropriateness criteria are utilized to avoid unnecessary testing and treatment. This ensures UH patients are receiving the right care at the right time, therefore cutting out unnecessary costs and providing exceptional quality.

The Lung Cancer COE+ program team provides concierge compassionate care to find the best treatment plan for you. All aspects of your medical journey are managed by the team to minimize downtime and optimize outcomes.

Our staff will:

• Schedule all required preoperative appointments and diagnostic tests.
• Provide each patient with a single point of contact for highly personalized care from evaluation to surgery or radiation oncology treatments.
• Facilitate minimal wait times between initial evaluation and procedures.
• Ensure efficiency with staff expertise and highly skilled clinicians while aligning providers with best practices to promote patient safety.

Bundled Package

All the services offered through University Hospitals’ Lung Cancer Center of Excellence+ are bundled together to be paid at a single rate. This approach promotes efficiency and best practices from all caregivers involved as they work together to provide the highest quality patient care while staying within a price point. Program navigators provide concierge-style support, coordinating all specialist appointments and ancillary services and accompanying patients to these appointments.

The UH Lung Cancer Center of Excellence+ bundled package includes initial evaluation and ONE of the treatment pathways, dependent upon surgeon recommendation:

Evaluation

• Surgeon visit
• Lung biopsy
• Bronchoscopy or EBUS
• Thoracic surgeon consult
• Interventional pulmonology consult

Treatment – Radiation

• Rectal spacer and fiducials
• CT
• 5 SBRT outpatient sessions

Treatment – Surgery

• Pre-admission testing
• Surgery charges for the following:
  • Hospital
  • Surgeon
  • Anesthesia
• 2-week post-surgical surgeon visit

Meet the Team

 

Atallah Baydoun, MD, PhD

Radiation Oncology

• Radiation Oncology – American Board of Radiology
• Internal Medicine – American Board of Internal Medicine

 

Colleen Houdek, PA-C

Thoracic & Esophageal Surgery

• Physician Assistant – National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants

 

Philip Linden, MD

Thoracic & Esophageal Surgery

• Division Chief, Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery, UH Ahuja Medical Center
• Division Chief, Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery, UH Cleveland Medical Center
• Professor, CWRU School of Medicine
• David P. Miller and Frances A. Cosentino Master Clinician in Thoracic & Esophageal Surgery, University Hospitals

Watch to learn more

 

Pranshu Mohindra, MD

Radiation Oncology

• Vice Chair, Operations and Quality, Department of Radiation Oncology, UH Cleveland Medical Center
• Director, Proton Therapy Center, University Hospitals

Watch to learn more

 

Leonidas Tapias, MD

• Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery – American Board of Thoracic Surgery

Information for Out-of-Town Patients

Additional Information