GE and Premier are developing a One-Stop Clinic to provide same day diagnosis and treatment planning to breast cancer patients
GE Healthcare has partnered with healthcare improvement company Premier to develop a "one-stop shop" model that will enable women to receive breast cancer diagnoses and treatment recommendations in one visit.
The premise is based on a similar program called the One-Stop Clinic, which launched in 2004 at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus in France. The model there aims to cover the entire patient process, from the initial appointment to diagnosis to treatment planning in one place and in one day with the same medical team.
“Any patient waiting for a diagnosis or care plan carries tremendous anxiety. In fact, we’ve heard that waiting for breast cancer diagnostic testing results is as stressful as receiving a diagnosis of cancer,” Roni Christopher, vice president of design and intervention for Premier, told HCB News. “Our healthcare system must address the challenge of providing efficient and effective care in a compassionate way. The One-Stop Breast Clinic model seeks to provide solutions for both sides.”
The decision to work with GE on this project stems from shared interests for improving patient care, according to Christopher, as well as the healthcare giant’s experience working with existing models worldwide. This includes the One-Stop Clinic in France which utilizes a number of GE solutions such as its Senographe Pristina mammography system and the SenoBright Contrast-Enhanced Spectral Mammography (CESM) system, along with biopsy techniques. The program has treated 20,000 women and holds an 80 percent patient satisfaction rate, with 75 percent of patients leaving with their diagnosis on the same day.
Premier performed a Rapid Evidence Review as part of the first phase of the project to evaluate expedited diagnoses for patients with breast cancer. It next plans to share its findings with GE to assess the potential and merits associated with forming a One-Stop Clinic model in the U.S. It also has formed an advisory board to provide insight on such a model and how best to design one that works within the U.S. market.
If successful, lessons gained from the formation of a U.S model for breast cancer could help in forming similar programs for other types of malignancies, says Christopher.
“Our strategy includes understanding how other models have shaped care around the world and determining how they can be applied to improve care in the United States. This includes looking at processes, workflows, staffing models, patient experiences, diagnostics and data,” he said. “Once we understand these pieces, we will begin to draft a model — supported by existing standards of care — while challenging our participating members to take a creative approach to meeting these goals.”
The project is still in early stages, with no launch date or location for the clinic yet determined.