How a Diagnosis Verification and Treatment Plan (DVTP) helped avoid a misdiagnosis.
After Mrs. S was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer following a routine mammogram, she decided to get a Diagnosis Verification and Treatment Plan through PGH to see if doctors in the U.S. would have a different opinion on her treatment than her doctors in Holland did. She was told the cancer cells were no longer present, and what the diagnosis verification revealed saved her life.
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The Diagnosis Verification and Treatment Plan (DVTP), which was completed through top Harvard-affiliated doctors in Boston, presented a review of Mrs. S' medical information and rendered a confirmation of her first diagnosis along with a plan for treatment. The medical opinion from the Harvard specialists confirmed the presence of cancer cells and further outlined the steps she needed to take.
PGH arranged for a careful analysis of the report with her. When discussing her updated situation with doctors in Holland, Mrs. S was wrongly told by them that there were no longer cancer cells present. The DVTP resulted in her understanding her medical situation better and gave her the tools to be proactive in questioning her doctor about this misdiagnosis and getting it corrected.
How PGH successfully helped fight one of the deadliest cancers.
Mr. W contacted PGH upon receiving his unfortunate diagnosis of colon cancer - a condition with a 62% 5-year survival rate in the U.S., and only 43% in Europe. Under PGH's organization and care, Mr. W is living a healthy life now six years after his treatment, with no recurrence of his condition.
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Shortly after his treatment, he wrote a letter to PGH expressing his gratitude and describing his experience. Below are excerpts of his letter:
"Diagnosis of cancer is likely a grim prospect for the most optimistic of us. My case was no different. Shortly after reporting my diagnosis to PGH a confirmation of full coverage for travel, accommodation and treatment was confirmed and any financial concerns on my part were forgotten.
As huge as this relief was, I still faced many unknowns, not the least of which was what the future held for me. For certain I would be away from my practice for an extended period of time, away from home and family, facing a barrage of test and consultations, a major surgery expected, and the many other anxieties which plagued my emotions. Major disquietude has set in. I felt alone, hopeless and helpless."
"...On arrival in Boston we were met at the airport by the PGH Patient Coordinator and taken by private limo to the Inn which, as it turned out, was to be our home for the next three months. Next day we met our nurse who came to the Inn to meet with us.
This very professional, yet personal care giver, represented and confirmed all that our plan had promised and a great deal more than we could ever have hoped for or imagined. We already knew that the surgeon to take care of me was top in his field and in a very senior position in the hospital and our first meeting with him brought renewed hope for a good outcome."
"...Embraced in personal care of PGH we experienced:
- An unexpected confidence at this most worrying time in our lives
- A feeling that we had a "family" away from home. We no longer felt helpless/alone.
- Relief in the fact that all arrangements were made and managed by PGH on our behalf.
- Comfort in the knowledge that we were being looked after in one of the best hospitals in America.
Finally, PGH has been our advocate, a compassionate care provider and our friend."
How PGH placed me with the best surgeon in record time.
Mr. Q was at his home in Kuwait when he began to experience a headache and neck pain. He went to a local hospital where he learned that he had suffered a heart attack. After undergoing numerous tests, Mr. Q’s cardiac catheterization revealed that he needed double bypass heart surgery. Mr. Q's DVTP confirmed his need for surgery, and within four days he was in Boston being treated by one of the best cardiac surgeons in the U.S.
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PGH quickly mobilized its team to start the Diagnosis Verification and Treatment Plan process. Upon the confirmation of Mr. Q’s diagnosis and treatment plan, Care Management Services began coordinating Mr. Q’s appointments and travel. PGH was first notified of the case on a Thursday; on the Tuesday of the following week Mr. Q was in Boston, the destination for his treatment. Wednesday morning, just the next day after his arrival, Mr. Q underwent double heart bypass surgery with one of the top cardiac surgeons in the U.S.
Mr. Q was very impressed by the nursing care at the hospital where he was treated, Brigham and Women’s, and with PGH’s Care Management Services overall. He recognized that in his time of need PGH was there, prepared and ready to get him the best care available immediately. As a result of his excellent care, Mr. Q recommended PGH to his friends and family, one of which also later took advantage of its benefits and had an equally successful outcome.
How PGH helped save a life - without the member even leaving his home country.
Diagnosed in Norway with a rare brain tumor called glioblastoma, Mr. R was told he had 4 to 6 months to live. There are only 1 to 2 cases of this kind of tumor reported in Norway annually, and because of the lack of knowledge and experience with this specific cancer, the patient was told by his local physician to stop chemotherapy treatment and enjoy the last few months of his life. However, Mr. R did not accept this prognosis and looked toward PGH for alternate options. This simple decision changed his life.
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Upon the mobilization of PGH Care Management Services, a Diagnostic Verification and Treatment Plan (DVTP) was put into place. The patient's case was put into the hands of a Harvard-affiliated specialist who had experience with such brain tumors, seeing approximately 300 such cases per year. Through his expertise, a treatment plan was formulated and implemented through communication with Mr. R's local physician in Norway.
The treatment plan was a success. Mr. R is alive and well 5 years following his initial terminal diagnosis. The patient was able to utilize PGH services to add the experience of a global center of excellence to his local treatment team. Without leaving Norway, his treatment of a very rare disease was a success. Through the PGH services, Mr. R achieved the support of the global best.
Dr. George Stang, Mr. R's general practitioner in Norway, commented, "PGH's persistent search for the best expertise and proactive follow-up enabled us to successfully treat a patient with a rare critical condition. Locally, the patient was considered a lost cause".
How PGH helped a member regain her liveliness.
After experiencing shortness of breath for some time, Mrs. E finally went to her physician to see what was wrong. She found out that her shortness of breath was due to aortic stenosis and she needed a valve replacement quickly. Care Management Services arranged her first appointment within the next few days with an experienced high-volume surgeon who had performed thousands of that very same procedure.
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Mrs. E and her husband were greeted in Boston by a member of her Care Management Services team and taken to their hotel where they were staying for the first portion of her treatment; they would later move to another hotel for her post-surgery recovery. They were accompanied by a PGH Personal Care Manager to Mrs. E's pre-operative appointments and on the day of her surgery, Care Management Services stayed with her husband in the waiting area of the hospital for about 12 hours until she awoke from the anesthesia.
Over the following two weeks of Mrs. E's recovery she was seen every day by the Care Management team, who noted her impressive progress. Following the doctor's recovery recommendations, she started from walking minutes and graduated to walking miles. Mrs. E returned to Kuwait without her shortness of breath and a new appreciation for PGH.
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