Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and Surgical Oncology have launched SONDA (same- or next-day appointments) for patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, providing rapid access to specialist care when anxiety is highest.
“Our whole objective with launching the SONDA program is to ease our patients’ minds,” says breast surgical oncologist Paige Harwell, MD. “Getting a breast cancer diagnosis can be terrifying for a lot of women. They have so many questions, and the thought of having to wait a week or 10 days to get those answered – it’s a long time to go down a rabbit hole.”
Who qualifies
Any patient diagnosed with breast cancer qualifies for same- or next-day appointments. Patients with metastatic disease are typically seen in the medical oncology clinic. Patient coordinators will direct referrals to the appropriate specialty.
How to refer
Patient coordinators offer SONDA appointments to all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Patients can choose between:
- Same- or next-day appointment with a surgical oncologist.
- A scheduled multidisciplinary appointment with surgical oncology, medical oncology and radiation oncology together.
Coordinators handle all necessary information gathering, including imaging, labs and pathology. Providers need only confirm the breast cancer diagnosis when referring.
The program is offered at Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Village Pointe Health Center, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Nebraska Medical Center and Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Bellevue Health Center.
Clinical benefits beyond anxiety reduction
The Commission on Cancer recommends surgical treatment within 60 days of diagnosis for breast cancer patients, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy within 30 days when appropriate.
“The sooner we can see patients, the sooner we can get them definitive surgical care,” Dr. Harwell says. “Starting patients on their treatment faster has been shown to improve their outcomes overall.”
Multidisciplinary care
SONDA appointments provide rapid access to surgical oncology, but patients still receive full multidisciplinary evaluation. Imaging and pathology are reviewed by the entire team, with subsequent appointments scheduled as needed with medical oncology and radiation oncology.
“Patients will still meet with the rest of the team, it just may be on a different day,” Dr. Harwell says. “The purpose of SONDA is just to get some answers to questions and alleviate anxiety, but breast cancer patients will still get the multidisciplinary care they really need.”
Refer today
The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Nebraska. The breast cancer program includes four fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologists, specialized plastic surgery for breast and lymphatic reconstruction and multiple female medical oncologists.
To refer a patient for same- or next-day appointments, call new patient coordinator Janeen Strong at 402.559.8025, fax her at 402.559.7900 or email jstrong@nebraskamed.com. If you have questions, Surgical Oncology can be reached at 402.559.7272.