Expert Care from Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center
Patients may be referred by a family or internal medicine physician, surgeon,
or another medical specialist. Some self-referrals are accepted. All medical
reports, diagnostic imaging reports, and laboratory results must be received
before the first appointment.
At the first appointment, patients should bring:
Insurance cards
List of medicines they are taking, including dosages and times taken
Photo ID
Prescriptions
At the first appointment, the physician will discuss test results, the
diagnosis, and treatment options. After making a treatment decision, patients
will have a return appointment to learn details about treatment and side
effects, sign treatment consent, and tour the treatment areas.
Treatment areas
Our group treatment room is a tranquil environment with 10 comfortable
chairs. Treatment, which ranges from 30 minutes to eight hours, is administered
by certified oncology nurses. Although many patients enjoy the company
of others, we also have five private treatment areas. Family and friends
age 16 and older are welcome. Snacks and drinks are provided for patients.
It is recommended that patients receiving long treatments bring a lunch.
Prescriptions
Refill requests should be made at least two days before the last dose.
To ensure patients have an adequate amount of medicine for a weekend,
refill requests should be made by 4 p.m. Thursday.
Paying for cancer treatment
Cancer is a stressful diagnosis. Besides being concerned about their health,
patients also may have concerns about the cost of treatment. Our billing
specialist:
Completes insurance preauthorization
Helps with drug-assistance program enrollment
Provides explanations of bills
Provides information for existing cancer insurance policies
For information about the cost of cancer treatment, please call our certified
hematology and oncology coder at
319-768-3443 or Patient Financial Services-Patient Billing at
319-768-3625, option 2.
