...From an outdoor wind chime with more than 1,500 individual butterflies attached — part of a “healing landscape” — to the latest technology (first in the state) targeting tumors deep within the body, the fruits of the $15 million expansion are notable.
...It’s a 38,000-square-foot expansion and renovation.
Yet Cone Health built it with intimacy in mind, thanks in part to $5 million from private donors.
...there’s a multi-disciplinary clinic with medical staff offices, exam rooms and waiting areas for breast cancer patients and families. The patient is visited in one place by each doctor — no longer having to make separate appointments that can delay planning treatments.
“They walk out with a summary of 'This is the plan,’” said Dr. Stacy Wentworth , a radiation oncologist. “It’s these are my doctors’ recommendations, these are my next appointments, this is when I’m going to chemotherapy class.’”
What is the average cost compared to elsewhere in the region?
.
.
Does Cone Health disclose how much they are charging whom for what?
...the multi-million dollar TomoTherapy unit, notable for patients who have run out of options. It can produce customized levels of radiation, allowing doctors to treat hard-to-reach tumors in sensitive places, even different ones in the same time frame.
Cone Health has the first in the state and one of a few in the Southeast.
How much is Cone charging whom
for terminally ill patients?
...“Competition is a healthy thing in any industry,” said Skip Hislop, Cone’s vice president of oncology.
If “Competition is a healthy thing",
why not disclose how much everyone is being charged
compared to other like facilities?
How much is an aspirin?
...The two-story entryway includes a panoramic rendering of the ocean divided into three panels — among 60 pieces of original art created by North Carolina artists for the building.
The general waiting area has the intentional look of a spa, with waves etched in the design of glass windows and walls. The colors and patterns assembled give a nod to the healing arts movement.
The labyrinth, an outdoor spiritual trail, has benches.
...More than 3,000 new cancer patients are treated annually at Cone Health, with an estimated 100,000 visits. According to 2009 data, 20 percent were breast cancer cases, 16 percent were lung cancer and 8 percent were colorectal cancer.
How much is Cone Health making on their cancer patients?
There is a multiplier effect, especially in bringing more money to the community.
“We know that health care is a very important industry in our country — it’s the only industry that didn’t lose employment in this recession,” said Don Jud , professor emeritus from the UNCG Bryan School of Business and Economics.
“It means that a lot of those health care dollars that might otherwise be spent outside the community will be spent here,” Jud said.
No mention of taxpayer subsidies Don?
How much has increased health care costs
eliminated local jobs?
...The center has two breast cancer patient navigators, each helping patients understand the treatment process and get the help they need.
...“Our breast cancer navigators were able to coordinate with community groups to find the money,”
Either way, Cone Health gets paid?
How much for what?
Who actually ends up paying what profit margin to whom?
...an auditorium, additional classroom space and a cancer library — but also offices for pastoral care, social work, and counseling on genetics, psychology and nutrition.
...The focus here is beyond the diagnosis and includes community partnerships.
...As many as 40 clinical trials are taking place at any given time.
Paid for by whom?
Current trials focus on breast, cervix and endometrial cancers, among others, and provide patients who qualify with access to the latest investigational drugs and most advanced treatment available.
The center...has an exclusive partnership with Novartis, Lilly and Glaxo-Smith Klein."
Nancy McLaughlin
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