Expert, compassionate cancer care

[MUSIC PLAYING] Hi Mr. Goldstein, how are you doing?

How are you?

Good.

Medicine is a unique privilege.

We'll just give you a quick exam here. I want to see how this thing--

To help people--

Does any of that hurt?

No.

And to me, that's the most rewarding thing. I don't know what I would do if I was not a doctor.

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I'm Badrinath Konety. I am the president of the Allina Health Cancer Institute, and I'm also the chief academic officer for Allina Health. Caring for people who are sick is a team sport. We do it together.

Lots of great trials, and some of the new ones that you're doing--

So regarding the Cancer Institute, my job is more like a team coach. We know that we have to focus and provide the best care in the best possible way, in the quickest possible way, to our cancer patients. And my job is to figure out how to do that.

Our nursing director, who signed on--

In my role as the chief academic officer, my job was two-fold. One is to focus on research, and the other aspect is to focus on building the educational pipeline-- the doctors and nurses, APPs, pharmacists, et cetera-- to meet our needs.

And being at the cutting edge requires you to be engaged in a clinical practice, so I do clinical work here. I have clinic patients every week, and then I operate one day a week. It allows you to understand what it is like to work here and also make sure that I'm making a constant contribution. That's why I went into this.

And the other thing I also do-- I do a lot of teaching and community work outside, especially internationally. And working in a limited-resource environment really teaches you to be very resourceful. And the most rewarding thing is you get to teach people because that's what builds the health of the local community.

There are many other colleagues of mine here who similarly have careers, which are driven by purpose. And they give of their time and their knowledge and their experience. I think that's the Allina way.

And the reason that I chose to come to Allina and stay at Allina is because I see it as a place where that sort of attitude is valued. That ethos is sort of baked in to the work ethic at Allina. It's about, what is your contribution that you're going to leave behind? It's a purely altruistic contribution to the community.

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Allina Health Cancer Institute stands for a team that provides whole person, compassionate, comprehensive care.

That means considering the whole patient and all of their concerns. Knowing all that information allows us to tailor a treatment approach that is ideal for that particular patient.

We've come a long way with radiation. Our technology has quite a bit. We were able to deliver radiation dose much more evenly now and be more directed with our radiation. I want to be able to make patients feel comfortable and well-supported.

I think it starts with listening to the patient. Sometimes, their needs are very personal and depend on their own particular circumstance.

If there's one piece of advice I could share with you, it's that we will get you through this. We will provide the support that you need, whether it is emotional, physical, or social.

It is OK to get care and ask for help. And I know it takes a lot, I think, perhaps, to come forward and ask for that help. But know that your team and physicians at Allina will be there to provide that support that you need.

[SOFT MUSIC] When you hear a cancer diagnosis, a lot changes during that time. Integrative medicine providers play a crucial role during cancer care because we are not only looking at the cancer diagnosis, but we are looking at the whole person.

Integrative medicine is a form of medicine that meets the patients where they are and focusing on their goals. It opens up doors to decide what therapy will be right for you.

An integrative oncology team will consist of health coaches, traditional medicine providers, like acupuncturists, massage therapists, and nutritionists. The specialists work with individuals to identify their preferences, values, and goals. So patients' values are really important to us.

Integrative oncology can help a patient by increasing hope. And to give someone hope during that critical period of time-- it's marvelous.

[MUSIC PLAYING] A Nurse Navigator is a registered nurse, whose sole purpose is to support a patient. So what that means is they are designed to help educate a patient, advocate for them, and also navigate their care throughout the continuum.

Cancer is complex. There's a lot of things that cancer touches in a person's life, and so ensuring that we can support all of the different areas of a patient and their life is very, very important.

They are, a lot of times, the first person that cancer patients speak to. They're there to provide that upfront support and answer questions, and then they're a single point of contact.

They know that they can call me any time throughout their treatment with any questions or any concerns, and if I'm not the right person to answer it, I will get them to that person. So I think initially just telling them that helps ease a lot of fears and anxiety.

The fear and anxiety with any situation in life really comes from not knowing not having the answers that you need, and so oncology Nurse Navigators are wonderful at helping patients understand all aspects of what they're going through, and they are able to educate patients in a way that they can understand.

So when you're diagnosed with cancer, there's a lot of different people who can be involved in your care team, but we are here to help make sure that you understand who they all are and that they all know who you are.

The Navigator, one of the most important things they do is help make sure that things are seamless and that things don't fall through the cracks. They maintain an understanding of where the patient is at in the cancer experience, so they're constantly behind the scenes, keeping up to date on the different treatments or things that are happening, and they are able to insert themselves or re engage or engage at certain time periods if needed.

I really just feel that nurse navigation is key and the glue of the operation.

It feels good to be able to know that you are helping an individual meet their goals, whatever those goals are, and that you're able to support them through a really difficult journey. It's really whole person care that supports the patient and all that they love.

Even though every patient's diagnosis is a little bit different, just knowing that a Navigator will be with you every step of the way is the most important thing.

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[SOFT MUSIC] If you're worried about the ability to afford cancer treatment, our financial navigation program and navigators are here to help. They're your advocates for your financial health.

A patient financial navigator is a specialist that on the journey of your care, they will help you understanding your insurance, your benefits. They do an affordability assessment. So then that way, you're aware of what the cost of care could potentially be.

Patients, regardless of insurance level, are going to be exposed to a tremendous amount of cost associated with treatment.

A financial navigator-- there's a variety of things that they can help and support with, but a few main things. One is provide education for patients and what their insurance covers and potential costs of their care. Another thing is working with them and helping optimize insurance. There may be potential benefits or other insurance programs that patients may qualify for. And navigators are in a position to help.

Then finally, they really help patients understand what resources are available. There's a substantial amount of resources out there that patients may not know about that they qualify for.

Things like copay assistance programs, drug assistance programs-- they will share all of that information with you along the way--

To make sure you know what's available and how you might be able to apply.

It'd be really challenging for patients to go do this themselves and understand what might be available. So that's a big piece of the navigation program.

Sometimes, our patients don't feel they need any financial assistance. But we still want to make sure that we are touching with every patient that comes through our doors because something could happen along the journey.

Our navigators are always going to be there for you. As long as you're here at the Allina Health Cancer Institute, they're here for you.