Fox Chase Cancer Center Offers New Patients Rapid Access Service

PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 25, 2014)—Fox Chase physicians understand it is important for patients and their family members to receive quick and efficient access to a cancer specialist.  Not only does it help, but it gives them confidence that they are receiving the highest-quality care. For these reasons and more, Fox Chase Cancer Center launched a new Rapid Access Service, which allows patients to be seen within 24 hours of their first call to the Center or the next business day—whether or not they have a definitive diagnosis.

“At Fox Chase, we realize that patients facing a possible cancer diagnosis should not have to wait several days or make numerous phone calls to get in to see a cancer specialist,” says Richard I. Fisher, MD, President and CEO of Fox Chase, who ramped up the Center’s call center to ensure that all patients speak to a person right away, rather than negotiating a recorded menu. “By offering next-day appointments to our patients, we are sending a clear message that we understand and are committed to making the cancer journey as smooth as possible for our patients and their loved ones.”

Through the Rapid Access Service, patients who are self or physician-referred are able to request an appointment either online at www.foxchase.org or by calling Fox Chase’s New Patient Office at 888-369-2427 Monday through Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Once patients complete that process a new patient representative and/or nurse navigator will match them with the most appropriate physician and help them schedule their first appointment as quickly as possible. During their first visit to Fox Chase they will meet with an experienced oncology specialist.

“The new service is an ambitious yet vital step to meeting the needs of patients and the challenges of today’s healthcare environment,” says Dr. Fisher.

Patients and referring doctors utilizing the new Rapid Access Service should be prepared to share the following information with Fox Chase during their initial call or online request: contact information (name, address, telephone number and insurance information), details and date of their diagnosis (if applicable), and name and contact information for their referring doctor or primary-care physician if they’d like Fox Chase to send them reports.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

For more information, call 888-369-2427

Resize Text

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

For more information, call 888-369-2427