City of Hope
Standardizing and Improving Patient Care at City of Hope with Varian's Advanced Oncology Solutions.
The Challenge
The City of Hope network, formerly Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), consists of three hospitals located in Chicago, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and some outpatient sites in Phoenix and Chicago. For several years, these state-of-the-art cancer centers had been supported by a third-party physics staffing group, but management issues at that company had impacted relations and City of Hope was looking for alternatives. They needed a solution to ensure standardization, scalability, and increased patient access to advanced cancer treatment modalities. Furthermore, they had a tight deadline of 30 days to transition from their previous service provider to a new one.
“On day one, the AOS team hit the ground running and set up daily meetings to figure out the transition in such a short time,” says Karan Shah, MD, radiation oncologist at City of Hope. “They found solutions for every issue we faced, and everything went remarkably smoothly and without any clinical disruption.”
The Solution
City of Hope turned to Varian's Advanced Oncology Solutions (AOS), which provided a wide range of services to support their operational and clinical goals. AOS offered both onsite and remote physicists and dosimetrists, a radiation safety officer, and a physics and dosimetry coordinator. By leveraging the expertise of the AOS team, City of Hope was able to standardize their operations and gain access to Varian's latest software systems and solutions.
Smooth 30-day Transition Period
The AOS team's flexibility and commitment to best management practices ensured a seamless transition in just 30 days, despite the typically longer timeframes for similar projects.
Standardization Across Sites
AOS worked closely with City of Hope to standardize protocols and operations across all treatment sites. This included weekly meetings to update each other on best practices and align with national guidelines and techniques.
Enhanced Collaboration and Learning Opportunities
The collaborative culture within AOS and its connection to the wider Varian community enabled City of Hope staff to stay up to date with the latest innovations, techniques, and guidelines.
Access to Advanced Technologies and Solutions
City of Hope benefited from having Varian-trained staff involved in equipment upgrades and the deployment of advanced technologies, such as the Halcyon system and BRAVOS afterloaders. This ensured accelerated implementation and helped City of Hope stay at the forefront of innovation.
“We don't have to worry about managing schedules for the dosimetrists and physicists, which I particularly appreciate. If we’re down a dosimetrist, for example, we can pull in a remote dosimetrist to help out and avoid any downtime.”
-Karan Shah, MD, Radiation Oncology at City of Hope
*VARIAN, BRAVOS, and HALCYON are trademarks of Varian Medical Systems, Inc., pending or registered U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.