Choosing a blood cancer specialist or treatment center

Once you've found a potential blood cancer specialist(s), make an appointment for a consultation. When you meet with the doctor, take notes or record the meeting (ask the specialist if they mind) if you find it helpful. You can also bring a family member or friend along to participate in the discussion, take notes, and provide support.

Arrive at your appointment prepared with questions, such as: 

• Are you board certified and licensed?
• Are you a member of any professional societies?
• How much experience do you have treating patients with my disease?
• Is your hospital, university, center, or clinic accredited and experienced in treating blood cancers?
• How long should I expect to wait for appointments or the return of my phone calls?
• Will nurses, social workers, and case managers be available to help me with support and quality of life concerns?
• Would you recommend that I speak with any other hematologist-oncologists?
• When should I call you?
• What questions can my family doctor answer?
• What is the best way to contact you?
• How do I contact you at night? On weekends? On holidays? 

Learn more about communicating with your blood cancer specialist or find a list of suggested questions to ask your healthcare providers. 

Selecting a cancer treatment center may depend on several factors, including your specific diagnosis, location, and health insurance coverage. You will want to choose an accredited treatment center with the medical expertise to provide the type(s) of treatment you will need.

Most healthcare organizations and programs in the United States are evaluated for accreditation by The Joint Commission. Receiving accreditation from The Joint Commission means that an organization complies with the Commission’s standards and strives to improve the care and services it provides. Visit The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website to review performance reports for participating institutions.

A number of resources are available to help you find a treatment center. Your primary care doctor may be able to provide a referral, or you can use doctor and insurance referral services. The following organizations may also help:

• The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) provides information about more than 670 community cancer centers
• Find a Commission on Cancer-Accredited Program, a service offered through the American College of Surgeons
• The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) offers information on U.S. transplant centers
• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides information on health-related topics and links to resources

Types of treatment centers

National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer centers 

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the federal government’s principal agency for cancer research and training and is one of eight agencies that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NCI coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports cancer research and training while also providing a wealth of authoritative information on these topics. The NCI also supports a national network of cancer centers, each of which must meet scientific, organizational, and administrative criteria to be recognized by the institute. 

There are two types of cancer centers recognized by the NCI; both offer the most recent advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment: 

1. NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers must demonstrate research in each of three major areas: laboratory, clinical, and population-based research. In addition, a comprehensive center must also demonstrate professional and public education and outreach capabilities, including the distribution of clinical and public health advances in the communities it serves.
2. NCI-designated cancer centers must demonstrate scientific leadership, resources, and capabilities in laboratory, clinical, or population science, or some combination of these three components. It must also demonstrate reasonable research in the scientific areas it chooses. 

Find an NCI-approved cancer center.

University-affiliated hospitals or centers 

University-affiliated hospitals or centers are affiliated with a university or medical school and provide training for medical students. They may be NCI-designated and are likely to offer: 

• Up-to-date cancer treatment and care
• Support staff
• A unit or associated center that performs stem cell transplantation 

Community cancer centers or local hospitals 

You may decide to receive care at your local hospital or a community cancer center because it's close to home or you already know the healthcare professionals who practice there. If the local treatment center or hematologist-oncologist is affiliated with an NCI-designated Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), by which local and community oncologists collaborate with NCI researchers, you may be able to receive NCI-sponsored treatments, including access to clinical trials, at the local center. 

If the local center is not affiliated with the NCI and/or a university or medical school, it is important to ask your local cancer specialist if they will be able to consult with area university specialists or NCI researchers before and during the course of treatment. 

When you call or visit the treatment center you're considering, ask the following questions to help make your decision:

• Is care at the treatment center covered by my health insurance plan?
• Does my primary care doctor or hematologist-oncologist have confidence in this treatment center?
• What type of accreditation does the treatment center have?
• Do the treatment center and staff have experience treating my specific type of blood cancer?
• Does the center offer the most current treatments available? Does the center participate in clinical trials (research studies) related to my diagnosis?
• Are adequate support staff (nurses, social workers, case managers, patient advocates) available?
• Will I see the same support staff members on each visit?
• Is there a pharmacy on the premises or nearby?
• If a stem cell transplant is part of the treatment plan, is this center experienced in performing the type of stem cell transplant I will need?
• Can I speak to other cancer patients who are being treated or were treated at this center? 

Find a list of suggested questions to ask your healthcare providers.