In February, Cleveland-based University Hospitals announced it would invest $39 million to build a new cancer hub at the system’s UH TriPoint Medical Center in Painesville, Ohio.
When University Hospitals opened the UH Seidman Cancer Center in 2011, the system consolidated all its cancer services into one Cleveland-based facility. The new hub highlights efforts to not only expand the system’s footprint, but to increase cancer care access in Ohio.
Theodoros Teknos, MD, president and scientific director of the UH Seidman Cancer Center and the Jane and Lee Seidman chair of cancer innovation, and Robyn Strosaker, MD, University Hospitals’ market president and COO, recently shared more about the system’s plans for the new hub and cancer care delivery with Becker’s.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How does this investment in the UH TriPoint cancer hub align with University Hospitals’ long-term strategy?
Dr. Theodoros Teknos: The significant investment in creating a cancer hub at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at UH TriPoint Medical Center is a direct reflection of our health system’s commitment to expanding access to world-class cancer care across Northeast Ohio. The strategy’s key pillars center around providing an exceptional patient experience and ensuring clinical excellence. This means that a primary area of focus is to bring advanced, multidisciplinary care closer to where our patients live.
By growing our regional footprint with comprehensive ambulatory sites, we ensure that more patients receive personalized, innovative treatments without the need to travel long distances. Additionally, a critical component of our strategy is to continue to offer cutting-edge clinical trials, and this site will be operated by specialists with an entire portfolio of clinical trials that we will be accruing to.
Q: How is UH leveraging this expansion to enhance care coordination across its regional network?
Dr. Robyn Strosaker: The cancer hub at UH TriPoint Medical Center will be fully integrated within the UH Seidman Cancer Center network, allowing patients seamless access to specialized care and clinical trials. We are committed to maintaining a high standard of care coordination with oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons and supportive care teams collaborating through advanced, multidisciplinary tumor boards with a diverse set of support staff, including navigators and clinical trial coordinators. This will enable our health system to transition patients to be seen across our network throughout their treatment journey. Patients at UH TriPoint will benefit from the same level of comprehensive care that they receive at our flagship campus in Cleveland.
Q: What effect will the new hub have on cost management and patient throughput for oncology services?
TT: The cancer hub will enhance volume in the UH East Market, and help us ensure predictable, patient demand across locations. In turn, this will result in hiring care team members that have enough demand to become experts in their care as well as the needs of the local community. This ensures that staff are able to have adequate workloads without having to travel to many different sites, enabling them to more efficiently care for patients without incurring unnecessary downtime.
By offering comprehensive outpatient services in a community setting that is closer to where patients live, the UH TriPoint site will help manage overall healthcare costs by reducing the need for unnecessary hospital visits and inpatient stays. Additionally, increased capacity for infusion therapies will alleviate pressure on our existing infusion suites throughout the health system, improving access and reducing wait times. Our focus is on delivering efficient, high-quality care that simultaneously provides an exceptional patient experience.
Q: What key workforce and infrastructure investments are necessary to support the new hub?
RS: The investment includes building state-of-the-art treatment spaces equipped with leading-edge technology in radiation therapy and infusion services. Equally important, we are recruiting specialized oncologists, nurses and support staff dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered care. Additionally, we are expanding our regional care coordination team and research team to ensure smooth transitions for patients across all UH locations.
Q: What lessons from establishing the UH Seidman Cancer Center are being applied to the TriPoint expansion?
TT: Our experience with establishing the UH Seidman Cancer Center at Avon, on the West side of Cleveland, has shown the immense value in providing high-quality cancer care within the community and, more directly, the demand for oncology specialists in the community. From a programmatic and infrastructure design perspective, key lessons include the importance of streamlined care coordination, incorporating patient feedback into facility design, and ensuring that our teams remain deeply connected with the academic mission at UH Seidman Cancer Center.
Programmatically, we are also ensuring that we have the full suite of resources needed to provide clinical trials across all disease sites. There is no difference in the services that our patients receive at our academic campus and sites like UH TriPoint and we are committed to doubling down on this expectation. Our patients have made it clear that they expect specialty-based care at our community sites. These insights will guide our efforts at UH TriPoint, ensuring that patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
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