Methodist Healthcare | San Antonio | Keeping Well | Winter 2014

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ONE IN EIGHT women will personally battle breast can-
cer at some point in life, according to the National Cancer
Institute. In 2013, there were an estimated 1,423 cases
in Bexar County, and specialists at Methodist Healthcare
provided care for approximately 1,000 women from Bexar
County and beyond.
Facing surging incidence rates and increasingly com-
plex treatment plans, physician leaders and Methodist
Healthcare leadership have recognized the necessity of
an integrated, comprehensive approach, emphasizing
physician leadership and patient-centered care.
ALWAYS GETTING BETTER “We have implemented a col-
laborative model for physicians and hospital leadership to
engage in an open dialogue for continuous improvement
of services, quality and patient experience,” says Jonathan
Tinker, regional vice president for cancer services at
Methodist Healthcare.
The concept of breast tumor conferences, where a team
of specialists discusses and determines the best treatment
pathway for patients, is an example of the
health system’s commitment to excellence
in caring for its patients. Paula Larson,
MD, managing partner of South Texas
Pathology Associates, who helped spur
the advent of these conferences in 1992,
notes that they also cultivate a more effec-
tive synergy between colleagues. Another
important component in the fight against
breast cancer begins with women receiving
screening mammograms at one of 12 South
Texas Radiology Imaging Centers (STRIC)
facilities, conveniently located across the
region. Specially-trained radiologists
perform state-of-the-art ultrasound and
stereotactic breast biopsies, mammograms
and ultrasound procedures.
OUR COMPREHENSIVE
BREAST CANCER PROGRAM
“Close to 1,000 newly diagnosed women with breast
cancer had their pathology reviewed at a Methodist
facility,” Tinker says. “With that volume of experience,
women can have comfort that the correct diagnosis is
called the first time.”
PATIENT-CENTERED CARE Research shows patient-
centered care leads to a higher level of patient engage-
ment which can lead to better health outcomes.
It is patient-centered care that makes the Breast Cancer
Nurse Navigator program such a success. The Methodist
Breast Cancer Navigators help patients navigate through
their cancer journey from discovery to recovery. A cancer
navigator is a health care professional trained in cancer
care, who guides and supports patients and their families
through the many challenges of the disease.
The Methodist Breast Cancer Navigators act as their pa-
tients’ guide along the road to recovery by helping patients:
● ● Experience more personalized cancer treatment from
a coordinated team of dedicated health care professionals.
● ● Develop a better understanding of the diagnosis, treat-
ment plans and medications.
● ● Learn about outside resource centers such as Susan
G. Komen, the American Cancer Society, WINGS,
ThriveWell and Alamo City Cancer Council.
● ● Stay informed about opportunities to participate in
clinical trials.
Breast cancer survivor Liz Morton and her husband,
Victor, had the opportunity to work with Laura Lopez,
navigator at Northeast Methodist Hospital, a campus of
Methodist Hospital. Victor remembers going with his
wife to one of her appointments and feeling that they
just didn’t understand what was being said.
They were referred to Lopez, who went with them to
their next appointment and took notes. “After the meet-
ing, we sat in the doctor’s waiting room, and Laura went
over those notes: ‘Here’s what you need to do, here’s what
you need to know. Here’s how you take your medicine…’
and she basically held my wife’s hand through it the rest
of the way,” explains Victor.
Survivor Aracelli Burell took advantage of the services
of Methodist Hospital navigator Stacey Schuler. “She was
there for me, beginning with my biopsy, and she still calls
me on a regular basis,” says Burell. “She is a great asset—
always upbeat and sweet…she is amazing.”
M e t h o d i s t H e a l t h c a r e
METHODIST HOSPITAL’S Breast Cancer program has
been granted a three-year/full accreditation designation
by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Cen-
ters (NAPBC), a program administered by the American
College of Surgeons. Accreditation by the NAPBC is only
given to those centers that have voluntarily committed
to provide the highest level of quality breast care and
that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review
of their performance.
MetropolitanMethodist Hospital, a campus of Methodist
Hospital, is also an NAPBC-accredited facility, thus giving
Methodist Healthcare two fully accredited breast cancer
programs.
During the survey process, the center must dem-
onstrate compliance with standards established by the
NAPBC. The standards include proficiency in the areas
of leadership, clinical management, research, com-
munity outreach, professional education and quality
improvement. A breast center that achieves NAPBC ac-
creditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to of-
fer its patients every significant advantage in their battle
against breast disease.
“NAPBC accreditation challenges breast cancer centers
to enhance the care they provide by addressing patient-
centered needs and measuring the quality of the care they
deliver against national standards,” says Jonathan Tinker,
regional vice president for cancer services at Methodist
Healthcare.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 232,340
patients were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the
United States in 2013. In addition, hundreds of thousands
of women deal with benign breast disease each year and
require medical evaluation for treatment options.
Receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center ensures
that a patient will have access to:
● ● Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-
of-the-art services.
● ● A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the
best treatment options.
● ● Information about ongoing clinical trials and new
treatment options.
● ● Quality breast care close to home.
“NAPBC accreditation provides value across all do-
mains of care, including: access to care and service, pa-
tient satisfaction and well-being, and quality of cancer
care,” says Tinker.
Visit or more in-
formation about the National Accreditation Program for
Breast Centers.
WE’RE NATIONALLY ACCREDITED!
Kelly Parish, RN
Methodist Hospital
Laura Lopez, RN
Northeast Methodist
Hospital/Methodist
Stone Oak Hospital
Stacey Schuler, RN
Methodist Hospital
Lorraine Infantino, RN
Metropolitan Methodist
Hospital
Jennifer Davis, RN
Metropolitan Methodist
Hospital
Meet the MHS Oncology Nurse Navigators
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