About North Shore Oncology!
Cancer is a difficult illness, but one in which great progress has been made during the past decade. Medical advances are leading to new cancer treatments every day. Our mission is to improve the physical and emotional well-being of those we serve. We understand that battling an illness involves treating the whole you - your mind, body and spirit.
Our Commitment To You
- To be greeted warmly and served in a timely manner
- To have matters held confidential
- To be seen as a unique individual
- To be listened to thoughtfully
- To be treated respectfully
- To be supported
- To be given current, accurate information
- To discuss various options and choices
- To participate in next-step decisions
Hospital Affiliations
We primarily serve the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago, with offices in Barrington, Libertyville and McHenry.
Our physicians are on staff at:
- Lake Forest Hospital
- Condell Medical Center
- Good Shepherd Hospital
- Centegra: Northern Illinois Medical Center
Office Hours
Patients are seen Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM by appointment only. Please notify our office when an urgent need arises and every effort will be made to see you as soon as possible.
Telephone Calls
When a call comes into our office it is initially answered by our reception staff. In order to be connected with the proper person, please be prepared to provide the purpose of your call. Our nurses and doctors will return calls during the day as time allows; however if your problem is urgent please ask to speak to a nurse or physician immediately.
Please remember our calls are forwarded to the answering service between the hours of noon and 1:30PM for lunch. If you are calling about an urgent matter please alert the service and they will contact us.
Follow-Up Appointments
When leaving our office, always stop at the front desk to schedule a follow-up visit. Also, remember to call for an appointment when discharged from the hospital. If you cannot make a scheduled appointment, please call us as soon as possible to reschedule.
After Hours Care
During business hours, our staff will answer and direct all office calls. During evenings and weekends the office phone will automatically connect you to our answering service.
If you are calling with an urgent after-hours call, inform the answering service operator that you are one of our patients and need to reach the doctor as soon as possible. The answering service will contact the on-call physician and you will be promptly called back. Please make routine prescription requests during regular business hours.
On-Call Physician
During normal office hours you will be under the care of your personal physician. Evening and weekend "call" duties and hospital rounds are shared by all physicians in our practice.
Methods of Treatment
Normal cells grow and die in a controlled way, but cancer occurs when cells become abnormal and keep dividing and forming more cells without control or order. Chemotherapy, or anti-cancer drugs, destroys cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying at one or more points in their life cycle. Because some drugs work better together than alone, chemotherapy often may consist of more than one drug. This is called combination chemotherapy.
In addition to chemotherapy, other methods sometimes are used to treat cancer. For example, we may recommend that you have surgery to remove a tumor or to relieve certain symptoms that may be caused by your cancer. You may also receive radiation therapy, high-energy rays used to damage cancer cells, to treat your cancer or its symptoms. Sometimes a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiation therapy may be recommended. This is called multimodality treatment.
Other types of drugs may be used to treat your cancer. These may include certain drugs that can block the effect of hormones. We also may use biological therapy to boost the body's natural defenses against cancer, for example monoclonal antibodies or interleukins.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are studies that find new ways to treat cancer or side effects from cancer treatment. They are designed to evaluate new treatments, new drug combinations, investigate the possible prevention of cancer, make earlier diagnoses and look at the impact cancer has on the quality of life. Trials can also provide access to new drugs prior to FDA approval. Many advances in cancer care have emerged from the knowledge gained through clinical trials that test new and better ways to treat cancer patients.
North Shore Oncology-Hematology Associates, Ltd is committed to clinical cancer research. We are an affiliate of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) which is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We conduct our clinical research in cooperation with Northwestern University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The trials are administered in the comfort of our office and all data is coordinated through the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern. Trials are currently available for a number of cancers and cancer related conditions.
North Shore Oncology-Hematology utilizes trained research staff to conduct and promote high quality clinical trials. We strive to provide potentially promising therapies to patients through access to these trials. Our physicians carefully review eligibility, and if you meet the criteria, will discuss the risks and benefits of participation.
For more information please visit the following websites:
http://www.ecog.org/general/intro.html
Hospice Care
Hospice care is a philosophy of care, not just a place of care. It is a comprehensive model of care, specially tailored to the needs of the terminally ill and their families. The founding principle of hospice programs is that home may still be the best place to go through the last stages of life. Its goal is to improve the quality of life, not necessarily extend it. Hospice Care:
- Takes place in the home or a home-like setting and concentrates on keeping the patient as comfortable and free of pain as possible.
- Provides a hospice specialty team comprised of physicians, nurses, home health aides, social workers, clergy, bereavement counselors and trained volunteers.
- Honors the values and goals of the patient.
Family Conferences
We welcome the opportunity to schedule a family meeting to discuss patient care issues. We understand that by sharing diagnosis and treatment options the patient, family and care providers can build foundations of support, mutual understanding and trust.
Payment Policies
Treatment options for cancer can be costly. Payment for all services is the responsibility of the patient.
There are many different ways in which the financial obligations can be met such as third-party insurance, self-pay or various assistance programs. It is important that you become familiar with the resources available to you; our billing staff is available to consult with you regarding these resources. For persons without insurance or with partial insurance, payment programs are available.
Private Insurance
We participate in many insurance programs, including PPO, HMO and Indemnity programs.
Please check check your plan to confirm that we are participating providers.
We request co-pay and office visit payments at the time of service.
Medicare
We are participating providers with the Medicare Program and accept assignment of benefits for all services performed in our office. Patients will be billed for the 20% of approved charges and any appropriate deductibles. As a courtesy, our office will also file Medicare supplemental insurance.