Personalized, family-focused care at Allina Health Cancer Institute

September 16, 2022
Badrinath Konety, MD

At Allina Health, our oncology specialists and subspecialists provide personalized cancer care focused on patients, their loved ones and caregivers. Our teams work closely with referring physicians and other healthcare providers to provide the best possible cancer care for your patients.

The Allina Health Cancer Institute (AHCI) brings together physicians and supporting teams from every cancer discipline to provide multispecialty care. Our oncology nurse navigation program, one of the largest in the country, offers individualized support to patients throughout the cancer treatment process.

Our multidisciplinary approach to cancer care

When you refer a patient to us for cancer care, you can feel confident that they will receive quality care from a closely collaborative team. All our practitioners are located in one area, making it easy to discuss patient cases with the team for input from several disciplines.

Starting with the first consult, your patients can meet with multiple providers at the same site and sometimes even at the same time. From diagnosis through treatment, patients will likely be able to see some providers within the same multidisciplinary clinic, allowing for cohesive care planning and fewer visits.

Built-in collaboration and tumor boards support personalized cancer care

Physicians in multiple cancer disciplines sit next to each other throughout the day, so it's easy to collaborate and rely on one another's expertise. By the time our providers see your patient, the team has already discussed their case across disciplines to create a personalized, cohesive care plan.

AHCI has 17 multidisciplinary tumor boards, which meet on a regular cadence for patient case discussion and consensus care. Our molecular tumor board discusses treatment options for patients based on specific genetic mutations detected in their tumors through advanced genomic diagnostic tests.

Convenient subspecialty cancer care in Minnesota and western Wisconsin

We understand the burden that cancer and its treatment create for patients and their caregivers and families. So that patients can receive care close to home, we accommodate their preferred locations to the extent of our geographic and medical expertise ability.

Patients have access to the same high-quality subspecialty care at all nine AHCI sites throughout the Minneapolis and St. Paul Metro and some suburban areas. We offer patients care at our regional and suburban sites when appropriate. For more complex cases, patients can access the highly specialized programs at our major metropolitan sites.

Oncology nurse navigation throughout the cancer care process

Our specialized oncology nurse navigators guide patients, family members and caregivers throughout the process from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship care and end-of-life care. Oncology nurse navigators are registered nurses with experience in oncology. The navigator’s goal is to provide individualized support for patients and families, with education and resources that help them access and make decisions about cancer care.

Nurse navigators are assigned to patients before their first visit, at the time of diagnosis, and serve as patients’ initial touchpoint. Nurse navigators review patients’ preliminary information and help them prepare for their initial visit.

Navigators provide a single, constant point of contact for patients, answering questions and coordinating care and other day-to-day needs throughout the care process. Navigators connect patients with appropriate care providers, from all types of oncologists to reconstructive surgeons, dietitians, cancer rehab specialists and others. This type of reliable support can remove some of the administrative burden of caregiving from the patient’s family.

Psychosocial support for patients, families and caregivers

09232021_AHCI_Family_Waiting_Room1

Another resource that AHCI offers to patients and their families is a team of oncology social workers. Our licensed clinical social workers specialize in working with cancer patients and their families to help optimize their well-being and quality of life.

Our oncology social workers provide additional support beyond medical care for practical, emotional, social and financial needs. In particular, they help families cope with the day-to-day challenges of living with cancer. Among the supports they offer are:

  • Simple Talk program to help people communicate with their children about a cancer diagnosis in the family
  • A specialized grief support group to connect surviving family members with others who have experienced loss due to cancer

When to refer your patients for specialty cancer care

If you’re a referring provider who has patients with a cancer diagnosis or even a suspicious finding, our cancer specialists are ready to help. We evaluate patients every day and are happy to guide you through a patient's diagnostic workup and evaluation process. Learn more about AHCI and our approach to cancer care.

Partner with Allina Health Cancer Institute: How to refer your patients

We welcome referrals from healthcare providers across the Twin Cities, western Wisconsin and beyond. Here’s how you can refer a patient to AHCI for cancer care:

Providers within Allina Health can place a consult order within Epic.

Providers from outside Allina Health can refer patients by calling our nearest cancer center: