November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, an especially important month as lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in Clark and Champaign Counties. Mercy Health knows early detection and effective management of the condition are paramount in helping patients prevent and survive it. So, the health system has launched a new Lung Nodule program.
“The goal is to ensure faster follow-up times for at-risk patients, because we know when it comes to potential cancer diagnoses, time is of the essence,” explained Angela Wagner, RN, the lung cancer coordinator at Mercy Health – Springfield Cancer Center. “We know by expediting the referral, evaluation, and management processes, we can reduce anxiety for patients and their families while also ensuring the appropriate care is delivered when it’s needed most. That timely intervention ultimately leads to better patient outcomes, and that’s what it's all about – saving lives.”
Mercy Health – Springfield Pulmonology physicians Dr. David Monjot and Dr. Shakeel Bahadur are key collaborators for the program, which is referral-based and targets patients who receive certain lung cancer screening results.
Lung-RADS (Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System) is a classification system that breaks low-dose CT screening exams into categories that help standardize follow up and management decisions. The different categories (0-4X) represent different levels of nodule risk, with higher numbers indicating a greater likelihood of malignancy. Patients who receive a number of 3 or higher are eligible for referral into the program, ensuring that those at higher risk are promptly evaluated and managed.
“We closely monitor all the screenings, and when a patient meets the criteria, we immediately reach out to initiate the referral process. We also work very closely with the pulmonologists to allow for a fast and seamless transfer of patient information. This reduces the chances of oversight and ensures any at-risk patients don’t fall through the cracks,” said Wagner.
Then new lung module program launched on October 1st and already more than a dozen patients have benefitted from this faster, more efficient approach to patient care. To learn more, call 937-523-LUNG (5864)
“The goal is to ensure faster follow-up times for at-risk patients, because we know when it comes to potential cancer diagnoses, time is of the essence,” explained Angela Wagner, RN, the lung cancer coordinator at Mercy Health – Springfield Cancer Center. “We know by expediting the referral, evaluation, and management processes, we can reduce anxiety for patients and their families while also ensuring the appropriate care is delivered when it’s needed most. That timely intervention ultimately leads to better patient outcomes, and that’s what it's all about – saving lives.”
Mercy Health – Springfield Pulmonology physicians Dr. David Monjot and Dr. Shakeel Bahadur are key collaborators for the program, which is referral-based and targets patients who receive certain lung cancer screening results.
Lung-RADS (Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System) is a classification system that breaks low-dose CT screening exams into categories that help standardize follow up and management decisions. The different categories (0-4X) represent different levels of nodule risk, with higher numbers indicating a greater likelihood of malignancy. Patients who receive a number of 3 or higher are eligible for referral into the program, ensuring that those at higher risk are promptly evaluated and managed.
“We closely monitor all the screenings, and when a patient meets the criteria, we immediately reach out to initiate the referral process. We also work very closely with the pulmonologists to allow for a fast and seamless transfer of patient information. This reduces the chances of oversight and ensures any at-risk patients don’t fall through the cracks,” said Wagner.
Then new lung module program launched on October 1st and already more than a dozen patients have benefitted from this faster, more efficient approach to patient care. To learn more, call 937-523-LUNG (5864)