PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
OCTOBER 2015
Antonio and you can’t find anybody better.”
Bartosh is the newest doctor in Weatherford, who
actually trained under Page while working on her master’s
degree. Beyond her regular work as an oncologist, Bartosh
is also passionate about clinical trials and doing research.
Skiba specializes in blood disorders. She is skilled at
managing difficult bleeding and clotting disorders and
other blood cancers.
Robyn Young is dedicated to treating breast cancer.
She is passionate about comprehensive management of
brea st cancer patients, clinical trials and trying new drug
therapies to make advances in breast cancer treatment.
Gary Young focuses specifically on radiation therapy
and brings a lot of academic expertise to the practice.
Hempstead is an oncology nurse and is in the
Weatherford office full-time. She manages acute side
effects and toxicities of cancer patients and works on
survivorship and general health.
With a combination of the right tools, practices and
staff, Page said TCCBD is continually breaking new
ground in cancer treatment and patient services, “and
we’re doing it right here in Weatherford.”
TCCBD is certified by the American Society of Clinical
Oncology, having received the organization’s coveted
Quality Oncology Practice Initiate certification.
“We were the first practice in the state of Texas, one of
the first 20 practices in the nation, to get QOPI-certified,”
Page said.
TCCBD is also one of few practices to be certified by
the National Commission on Quality Assurance.
Most recently, TCCBD helped innovate and pilot the
American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
Oncology Medical Home Program and structure.
“We’re one of only nine practices in the United
States that is certified by the Commission on Cancer as
an oncology medical home,” he said. “That’s a big deal
because it once again just puts weight on the fact that we
are doing things to completely restructure and transform
providing cancer care.”
But state-of-the-art technology and prestigious
certifications must come with a high price, right? While
Page doesn’t dice words about the cost of cancer
treatment, he said he’s hired specialized personnel and
employed creative practices to ensure money isn’t a
barrier.
“There is no practice in the United States in oncology
that has more hands-on, boots-on-the-ground experience
of looking at novel payment models, payment reform
models, to find better ways to manage cancer patients,”
he said.
Asked about the future of cancer treatment, Page said
the medical field is making “huge gains.”
“Sometimes people will ask me, ‘Is cancer ever going
to be cured?’” he said. “Well, 58 percent of people who
are diagnosed with cancer get cured of their cancer ...
. So, a majority of patients are actually cured of their
cancer, but we certainly still have people that aren’t
diagnosed early enough, or they have a more advanced
disease, or they have more difficult cancers. But, we
continue to make incremental gains and improvements
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with that by coming up with new therapies. We’re on the
cusp of developing new drugs and immunotherapies that
stimulate your own body’s inherent ability to kill cancer –
if you can just unleash the body on the cancer for some of
those difficult cancers,” Page said.
“We have a lot of hope for the future.”
Until cancer is eradicated, Page and his staff are
committed to remaining at the forefront of treatment
and research – especially in the city where their journey
began.
“There have just been hundreds of cancer patients
in Parker County who have gotten access to novel and
experimental drugs in our Weatherford office over the
last 18 years,” he said. “ ... To give cancer patients the
opportunity to access those novel agents while they’re still
experimental at home in Weatherford, without having to
go to MD Anderson or Boston or Baltimore or someplace
like that to get that drug, that’s a big deal.”
Part one in a series of three.