McCullough-Hyde, TriHealth team up for cancer care

“We feel our patients have a really great opportunity,” said Pam Collins, vice president and chief patient services officer at McCullough-Hyde.

Officials from both organizations said the partnership is intended to be long term. The contract for a three-year agreement includes automatic renewals, Collins said.

Mark Witte, executive director of TriHealth Cancer Institute, said Dr. Ranga Brahmamdam and Kathy Chambers, nurse practitioner, will provide the oncology and hematology care in Oxford.

Dr. Brahmamdam will see patients on Tuesdays, and Chambers will be at the hospital on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Witte said Dr. Brahmamdam was part of the formation of the TriHealth Cancer Institute in 2010 and has been practicing medicine for over 15 years. The physician volunteered to take on the Oxford patients due to his familiarity with the area when he previously worked at Reid Hospital in nearby Richmond, Ind., according to Witte.

“Every patient wants and deserves multidisciplinary care,” Witte said. “The model we believe in is forming care around the patient. As we look at developing this at McCullough-Hyde, it’s not just to have a doctor there … but to develop comprehensive, multidisciplinary care.”

The Oxford hospital has a database of 700 cancer patients for which the partnership with TriHealth will bring about more opportunities, including greater access to clinical trials, genetic counseling and the expertise of a multidisciplinary tumor board of physicians, according to Collins.

"What's always been so important to us is that our patients have a personal care experience close to home," Collins said.

The current oncology care team at McCullough-Hyde will remain intact, including five registered nurses trained in cancer care, according to the hospital.

The hospital in May also began offering Oncology Patient Navigator and Financial Navigator programs to provide patients and families with individualized assistance during their cancer journey, including helping to complete grant applications for financial assistance.