Comprehensive cancer care: Meet Riverside’s multidisciplinary team

Advancements in cancer treatment require dedicated healthcare professionals. At the Riverside Cancer Institute, a multidisciplinary team delivers comprehensive patient care every day. 

“We [continue to] evolve in our care for patients, adding more players to our multidisciplinary team as well as continually adding more and more treatment options to best care for our patients and ensure the best outcomes,” says Kirstin Carson, Riverside Healthcare’s Director of Oncology. 

A wide range of experts 

In addition to doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses, the Cancer Institute team consists of radiation therapists, medical assistants, a navigator, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, a laboratory technician, social workers, a dietitian, pastoral care, and authorization specialists. 

Operating across Bourbonnais, Coal City, Frankfort and Watseka campuses, the team works together and often travels between locations to ensure a cohesive patient experience. 

“Most of our referrals come through one team and our navigator,” Carson explains. “That team then reviews the patient’s records and information and works with the teams at the different sites to schedule the patient closest to their home for their convenience.” 

Convenient access 

Within Riverside’s cancer treatment sites is point-of-care testing for the lab, with a lab technician and equipment on-site. Blood can be drawn for patients before their provider visits or treatments, and, with the ability to obtain the results within the hour, it’s determined if the patient can receive treatment. 

Once it’s determined that treatment is safe, the on-site pharmacy staff can immediately mix the drugs for infusion. This helps to decrease wait times for the patients, and they can be treated on the same day. 

In many other healthcare systems, these steps happen across several visits. Often, there is no pharmacy on-site, so medications must be mixed at a separate site and brought to the site of care, causing long wait times for patients. 

“We are very proud to minimize this time and provide all of these services same-day,” Carson said. “Many treatments are lengthy and, at times, leave patients not feeling well or fatigued. Minimizing travel, appointments and wait times truly helps patients in their journeys, giving them more time to heal in the comfort of their homes.”

Learn more

For more information on the Riverside Cancer Institute, visit myrhc.net/cancer or call (815) 933-9660.