Brain tumor patients now have access to Penn Medicine’s https://www.pennmedicine.org cancer expertise through their new telemedicine second opinion program used for brain tumors. The Penn Brain Tumor Center is made up of neurosurgeons, neurologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, medical oncologists, social workers, nurse navigators, and nurse practitioners.
Treatments include surgery using Penn Medicine’s TumorGlow technology that more precisely defines areas of tumor, uses proton therapy, and conducts clinical trials including CAR T cell therapy for brain cancer.
Through the new second opinion telemedicine program, a Penn neurosurgeon will work with the patient’s local provider to review the patient’s medical history, current diagnosis, and exam images to recommend the best treatment approach.
The Telemedicine program will be rolled out in phases. Initially, it will be offered to patients in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington D.C with plans to expand the second opinion in the next year.
Steven Brem, MD, Co-Director of the Brain tumor Center and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology said, “Thanks to the power of telemedicine, we can provide second opinions to eligible patients without travel and help patients and caregivers understand the diagnosis to help makes the right choice for treatment.”
Now Penn State Health https://www.pennstatehealth.org enables patients to schedule appointments and interact with providers virtually through their OnDemand app https://hmc.pennstatehealth.org/ondemand-overview.
OnDemand, powered by American Well https://www.americanwell.com launched last September, provides access to unlimited live video visits with doctors from any smartphone, tablet, or computer 24/7.