Navigating the Clinical Component
The current oncology office is 3,500 sq ft, located inside a medical office building attached to the hospital. Good Shepherd is breaking ground on a new 12,000 sq ft Cancer Center that will include an expanded infusion suite, an onsite pharmacy, and a linear accelerator for in-house radiation therapy. Radiation cases currently refer to the Tri-Cities. You will have direct input on the design and service scope of the new facility.
Schedule and Call
- Four 10-hour clinic days per week
- No nights, no weekends, no call
- Daytime inpatient consults handled collaboratively with the ED and hospitalist teams
- Average inpatient rounding: 30 to 45 minutes per day
- Active tumor boards with participation across specialties
Imaging and Procedures
Onsite imaging includes MRI and CT. A new PET/CT scanner has been purchased and is currently housed in a trailer while the new imaging center is built. The program has historically sent out roughly 12 PET scans per month, representing volume that will move in-house.
Interventional Radiology is onsite four weeks per month and supports a full range of oncology procedures:
- Image-guided biopsies for diagnosis and staging
- Tumor ablation, including radiofrequency and cryoablation
- Chemoembolization and embolization
- Radioembolization
- Catheter and port placement for chemotherapy and long-term venous access
- Palliative procedures for pain and obstruction management
Surgical Support
- General Surgery performs most cancer surgery in-house, including some breast surgery
- Colorectal surgery coordinated with providers in the Tri-Cities
- Higher-acuity and complex surgical cases referred to OHSU in Portland
- Bone marrow transplant cases referred to Portland or Spokane
Infusion and Clinical Support
- Infusion Center with 7 chairs, expanding with the new build
- Saturday infusion clinic being added
- Onsite hospice and palliative care programs
- Epic EMR across all clinical services
Team and Support Staff
- One medical assistant per provider
- Susan Damico, the full-time oncology nurse practitioner who manages a high hematology caseload and covers oncology patients when contracted physicians are remote
- Plan to add a second NP after the new oncologist is hired
Referral Volume and Program Growth
Dr. Iacoboni's panel is more than half hematology, and a significant share of complex oncology cases has historically referred out. Hospital-employed primary care generates a steady referral stream that has outgrown current program capacity. As the new Cancer Center opens and in-house capabilities expand, the incoming oncologist will be positioned to recapture this volume and build a long-term outpatient panel.