Choosing a pediatric blood cancer specialist or treatment center

Questions to ask when choosing a pediatric blood cancer specialist

Once you've identified a potential blood cancer specialist(s), make an appointment for a consultation. When you meet with them, take notes or record the meeting (ask the specialist if they mind) if you find it helpful. Or 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 child’s 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 my family 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 should I call my family doctor for?
• 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 yourchild’s 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 your child will need.  

Most healthcare organizations and programs in the United States are evaluated for accreditation by The Joint Commission, an independent not-for-profit that is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. 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 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 be of assistance: 

• 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 and provides 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. They must also demonstrate reasonable research in the scientific areas they choose.

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 for your child 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), through which local and community oncologists collaborate with NCI researchers, your child may be able to receive NCI-sponsored treatments, including access to clinical trials.  

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 hematology-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 child’s diagnosis?
• Are adequate support staff (nurses, social workers, case managers, patient advocates) available?
• Will my child and I see the same support staff members at 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 my child will need?
• Can I speak to other cancer patients who are being treated or were treated at this center?