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[music, video montage]
At Kaiser Permanente, our level of expertise puts us at the cutting edge of cancer treatment.
Our 360-degree approach at Kaiser begins at prevention, and goes through the process of screening,
diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and hopefully to wellness.
I was diagnosed on May 13th, 2008. It was an absolute shock.
And the first thing they did is ask me what I needed.
I went to the breast care clinic and ended up with a biopsy and ultrasound
and all these things that I hadn't been expecting.
And that's how we found out that I had a grade III triple negative breast cancer.
It was a real shocker. But I'm so grateful that everyone
was on top of it and that I got all my tests right there.
And everything got taken care of that day.
As we learn more and more about how a cell becomes malignant,
what we've discovered is the many, many different opportunities
and options we have for treating any one person.
And more and more, these depend on incredibly detailed analysis of a patient's tumor.
We have all of these laboratories that work together in analyzing a biopsy specimen from a patient.
All of that information gets funneled back into the electronic record so
we all have it available in a single spot for anybody to review.
In the modern world it's not possible for a single person
to take care of a cancer patient. It requires a team.
There are many physicians involved with any one of our patients.
As soon as the patient is diagnosed, usually within a week
they're seen at the multidisciplinary clinic, where the clinicians have
all the information that they need to render a recommendation for the patients.
It was great to find there were going to be so many people involved
and that there were all these resources.
What's really central for the way we all interact is our very unique electronic medical record.
If I want a consultation from another specialist, they can bring up the record simultaneously.
We can both look at it together and we can come to a team decision
about how to manage that particular problem—instantaneously. It's an unbelievable tool.
We're very fortunate to participate in most of the national cancer clinical trials.
We can give patients some of the latest treatments in an environment where they're closely monitored,
where they're informed of any unusual side effects that might be generated.
If there is a greater benefit from one type of treatment than another,
then we can offer that treatment earlier to all of our patients.
The clinical trial was an incredible opportunity for me.
Because of the trial, I was assigned a clinical trial nurse.
If I needed an appointment, she made it happen. She would have all my charts ready.
So that we were on top of my care and keep me going.
How we talk to our patients, how we listen to our patients,
how we hold their hand or help them through the tough times
is every bit as important as how we provide them with modern, state-of-the-art therapies.
Dr. Baer's so warm and he's thoughtful. And he paid very close attention.
And I see him to this day, and, it's always a treat.
I was so lucky to be with Kaiser.
I had a team that was incredible and fabulous care.
And, here I am on the other side. So, I'm very grateful for everything.
[music, ending title card: Kaiser Permanente]