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This site maintained by Barry Sugarman,
B.S.ENGR.
Father of Alon Sugarman, Diagnosed March 6, 1998
with Ewing's Sarcoma of the Distal Femur.
mailto:barry@cureourchildren.org
**This guide has been written for educational
purposes only, it cannot be used for diagnosing
or treating a health problem or a disease. If you have or suspect that you or
your child may have a health problem, you should consult your doctor.
Additionally, this site is not intended to provide legal advice or legal
opinions. If you need legal advice or opinions, please consult your
attorney.**
Original Article:
by Barry Sugarman, B.S.ENGR., President, and Dr. Lainie
Sugarman, Vice President
The Cure Our Children Foundation
Using the right doctor and the right hospital to treat cancer and other life-threatening diseases is critical. Every doctor is not the same, and there are substantial differences in knowledge, bedside manner, customary practices, and treatment philosophy. While it is important to get information about the doctor and the hospital, and to gain a certain comfort level, remember that time is not on your side. Questions and checks should be performed immediately, and treatment commenced right away once a confirmed diagnosis has been established. Although most pediatric hematologist-oncologists treat all cancers and leukemia, each doctor has his or her own specialty. That is, there are one or two diseases that they specialize in, and know much more about than the other diseases. It's best if you can locate a doctor that specializes in your child's particular disease, and who has treated a number of children with that disease over a long period of time.
There are many questions to ask your doctor before you agree to treatment. Some of these are:
How many patients have you treated with
this particular disease successfully?
If the treatment that you choose is unsuccessful, what
resources will you utilize
to assist you?
Is there a separate pediatric ward at the hospital, and are pediatric nurses available?
What social services are available for you and your child during treatment?
Are school teachers available to the child when there are stays in the hospital for treatments?
Is there a playroom and a Child Life Specialist available, and what hours are they available?
Is there an adequate support staff of related
doctors such as pediatric surgeons, radiation
oncologists, neurologists, radiologists and others? Do
these professionals have direct
experience in pediatrics?
Are the rooms private or shared? What are
the accommodations for parents staying in the
child's room?
What clinical trials are available at your facility?
How will you respond if I disagree with one of your treatment
choices?
Who covers you when you are not available?
Are you available by pager?
How much time do you dedicate during appointments?
Do you accept my insurance plan?
Do you accept credit cards or extended payment terms for
balances due?
Ask for your own copy of a resume or curriculum vitae.
There are many possible specialists
involved in the treatment of children with cancer such as pediatricians,
pediatric hematologist-oncologists, orthopedic oncologists, pediatric
orthopedists, general surgeons and others. Knowing the background and
training of each can help you select the facility and person that is best for
your situation. It is extremely important that a facility be chosen that
has a separate pediatric ward, and separate personnel that are trained in
pediatrics. Treating children is much different than treating adults, and
requires specialized training. Additionally, there are a number of
practical needs of parents such as the need to stay overnight in the room, so
the extent to which a facility is willing to accommodate this, and even make it
easy is very important. Aside from break periods, my wife and I were
always on duty with our son Alon 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including
sleeping and eating in the room with Alon and taking care of all of his needs.
I believe that it is especially important to seek and receive a
second opinion on the pathology reports from a respected pathologist at a
recognized facility that regularly treats cancer. I can't stress enough
that all of the treatment decisions that are being offered emanate from the
diagnosis given by a pathologist when looking at slides of blood or tumor.
It is advisable to request that an extra set of slides be prepared prior to the
biopsy procedure. Diagnosis by slides is no easy task, and a second set of
slides should always be viewed and a second opinion given. In addition to
this, it is also common practice to perform a second opinion by a pediatric
oncologist in life-threatening illness. The second opinion should confirm
or refute the diagnosis, and the proposed treatment
methods.
Remember, you are trusting this person with your life or the
life of your child. Seek only those doctors and other health care
professionals that are willing to work with you in a trusting, caring,
respectful, professional manner. It is a perfectly acceptable practice to
interview two or more doctors before deciding which one that you wish to choose;
however, this process should be done quickly, as time is always of the essence
when treating cancer.
Treatment methods always exist at every stage of disease including relapse. It is a good idea to discuss these numerous methods with your doctor to gauge their opinions. For instance, with chemotherapy, there are many choices such as the full traditional protocol, an abbreviated protocol, addition of immune boosting drugs, and clinical trials. For radiation, there is traditional radiation, I.M.R.T., sterotactic, proton, and neutron. For surgery, there is endoprosthesis, rotationplasty, allograft, and amputation. These are only some of the options, other options exist, and new options are being developed every day. Many treatment options are only available at particular facilities. Whether or not your doctor is open to listening to your suggestions and discussion about treatment methods available at their own facilities and at other facilities is an important consideration.
Myself and others from our foundation are available to assist you as an advocate if you need additional information, referral, or potential treatment alternatives. Our contact information is at the bottom of this page.
...Barry and Lainie Sugarman
Check for Medical Board Certification:
· American
Board of Medical Specialties, Phone: 1-866-ASK-ABMS, 847-491-9091, Fax:
847-328-3596
Private Services to Check on Doctors:
· Choicetrust.com,
Phone: 1-800-342-5339
· U.S.
Information Search, Phone: 800-596-4327, Fax: 914-931-1735
· At
Health.com, Mental Health Practitioners, Phone: 1-888-284-3258 or 360-668-3808,
Fax: 360-668-2216
· Physicians-Background.com,
Phone: 850-862-5075
· Healthgrades.com,
Phone: 303-716-0041
· Investigate
Your Doctor.com, Phone: 818 745-1212, Fax: 818-745-1260
· National
Practitioner Databank, Phone: 800-767-6732 or 703-802-9380; TT/TDD: 703-802-9395
· Doctor
Quality.com, Phone: 877-633-3923 or 610-828-9955; Fax: 610-828-9966
· Best
Doctors.com, Phone: 888-362-8677, Fax: 617-426-8595
· American
Medical Association Physician Select,
Phone: 800-621-8335
Check on Your Hospital:
· Healthgrades.com,
Phone: 303-716-0041
· U.S.
News Hospital Ratings Search Engine, Phone: 202-955-2000, Fax: 202-955-2685
· Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Phone: 630-792-5000,
Fax: 630-792-5005
· American
Hospital Association, at Hospital Connect, Phone: 312-422-3000
· National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), Phone: 888-275-7585
· Health
Care Choices.com, Phone: 212-724-9395, Fax: 212-724-9577
· Health
Scope.org, Phone: 415-281-8660, Fax: 415-281-0960
· Quality
Counts.org, Phone: 608-276-6620, Fax: 608-276-6626
State Medical Boards and Medical Associations:
· American
Medical Association, Phone: 800-621-8335
· Federation
of State Medical Boards, Phone: 817-868-4000, Fax: 817-868-4099
· Alabama
State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 334-242-4116, Fax: 334-242-4155
· Alaska
State Medical Board, Phone: 907-269-8163, Fax: 907-269-8196
· Arizona
Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 480-551-2700, 877-255-2212
· Arizona
Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery, Phone: 480-657-7703
Fax:
480-657-7715
· Arkansas
State Medical Board, Phone: 501-296-1802, Fax: 501-296-1805
· California--Medical
Board of California, Phone: 800-633-2322, 916-263-2389, Fax: 916-263-2387
· California--Osteopathic
Medical Board of California, Phone: 916-263-3100, Fax 916-263-3117
· Colorado
Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 303-894-7690, Fax: 303-894-7692
· Connecticut
Medical Examining Board, Phone: 860-509-7648, Fax: 860-509-7553
· Delaware
Board of Medical Practice, Phone: 302-744-4507, Fax: 302-739-2711
· District
of Columbia Board of Medicine, Phone: 202-442-4777, Fax: 202-442-9431
· Florida
Board of Medicine, Phone: 850-245-4131, Fax: 850-488-9325
· Florida
Board of Osteopathic Medicine, Phone: 850-245-4161, Fax: 850-487-9874
· Georgia
Composite State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 404-656-3913, Fax:
404-656-9723
· Guam
Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 011-671-475-0251, Fax: 011-671-477-4733
· Hawaii
Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 808-586-3000, Fax: 808-586-2874
· Idaho
State Board of Medicine, Phone: 208-327-7000, Fax: 208-327-7005
· Illinois
Department of Professional Regulation Discipline Phone: 312-814-4500, Fax:
312-814-1837
Licensure
Phone: 217-785-0800, Fax: 217-524-2169
· Indiana
Health Professions Bureau, Phone: 317-232-2960, Fax: 317-233-4236
· Iowa
State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 515-281-5171, Fax: 515-242-5908
· Kansas
Board of Healing Arts, Phone: 785-296-7413, Fax: 785-296-0852
· Kentucky
Board of Medical Licensure, Phone: 502-429-8046, Fax: 502-429-9923
· Louisiana
State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 800-296-7549, Fax: 504-568-8893
· Maine
Board of Licensure in Medicine, Phone: 207-287-3601, Fax: 207-287-6590
· Maine
Board of Osteopathic Licensure, Phone: 207-287-2480, Fax: 207-287-3015
· Maryland
Board of Physician Quality Assurance, Phone: 800-492-6836, 410-764-4777, Fax:
410-358-2252
· Massachusetts
Board of Registration in Medicine, Phone: 800-377-0550, 617-654-9800, Fax:
617-451-9568
· Michigan
Board of Medicine, Phone: 517-373-6873, Fax: 517-373-2179
· Michigan
Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, Phone: 517-373-6873, Fax:
517-373-2179
· Minnesota
Board of Medical Practice, Phone: 612-617-2130, Fax: 612-617-2166, Hearing
impaired 1-800-627-3529
· Mississippi
State Board of Medical Licensure, Phone: 601-987-3079, Fax: 601-987-4159
· Missouri
State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, Phone: 573-751-0098, Fax:
573-751-3166
· Montana
Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 406-841-2300, Fax: 406-841-2363
· Nebraska
Health and Human Services, Regulation and Licensure Credentialing Division,
Phone: 402-471-2115, Fax: 402-471-3577
· Nevada
State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 775-688-2559, Fax: 775-688-2321
· Nevada
State Board of Osteopathic Medicine, Phone: 702-732-2147, Fax: 702-732-2079
· New
Hampshire Board of Medicine, Phone: 603-271-1203, Fax: 603-271-6702, Complaints
Phone: 800-780-4757l
· New
Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 609-826-7100, Fax: 609-826-7117
· New
Mexico State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 800-945-5845, 502-827-5022, Fax:
505-827-7377
· New
Mexico Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Phone: 505-476-7120, Fax:
505-476-7095
· New
York State Board for Medicine (Licensure), Phone: 518-474-3817, Fax:
518-486-4846
· New
York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct (Discipline), Phone:
518-402-0855, Fax: 518-402-0866
· North
Carolina Medical Board, Phone: 919-326-1100, Fax: 919-326-1130
· North
Dakota State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 701-328-6500, Fax: 701-328-6505
· State
Medical Board of Ohio, Phone: 800-554-7717, 614-466-3934, Fax: 614-728-5946
· Oklahoma
State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, Phone: 800-381-4519,
405-848-6841, Fax: 405-848-8240
· Oklahoma
State Board of Osteopathic Examiners, Phone: 405-528-8625, Fax: 405-557-0653
· Oregon
Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 503-229-5770, 877-254-6263, Fax: 503-229-6543
· Pennsylvania
State Board of Medicine, Phone: 717-783-1400, Fax: 717-787-7769
· Pennsylvania
State Board of Osteopathic Medicine, Phone: 717-783-4858, Fax: 717-787-7769
· Board
of Medical Examiners of Puerto Rico, Phone: 787-782-8949, Fax: 787-792-4436
· Rhode
Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, Phone: 401-222-3855, Fax:
401-222-2158
· South
Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 803-896-4500, Fax: 803-896-4515
· South
Dakota State Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners, Phone: 605-336-1965,
Fax: 605-336-0270
· Tennessee
Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 615-532-4384, Fax: 615-532-5369
· Tennessee
Board of Osteopathic Examiners, Phone: 888-310-4650, 615-532-4384, Fax:
615-532-5369
· Texas
State Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 512-305-7010, 800-248-4062 (TX only),
Fax: 512-463-9416,
Consumer
Complaint Hotline Phone: 800-201-9353
· Utah
Department of Commerce, Div. of Occupational & Professional Licensure,
Phone: 801-530-6628, Fax: 801-530-6511
· Utah
Department of Commerce, Div. of Occupational & Professional
Licensure, Osteopathic Physician Board, Phone: 801-530-6628,
Fax:
801-530-6511
· Vermont
Board of Medical Practice, Phone: 802-657-4220, Fax: 802-657-4227
· Vermont
Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, Phone: 802-828-2373, Fax:
802-828-2465
· Virgin
Islands Board of Medical Examiners, Phone: 340-774-0117, Fax: 340-777-4001
· Virginia
Board of Medicine, Phone: 804-662-9908, Fax: 804-662-9517
· Washington
Medical Quality Assurance Commission, Phone: 360-236-4788, Fax: 360-586-4573
· Washington
State Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, Phone: 360-236-4943, Fax:
360-236-2406
· West
Virginia Board of Medicine, Phone: 304-558-2921, Fax: 304-558-2084
· West
Virginia Board of Osteopathy, Phone: 304-723-4638, Fax: 304-723-6723
· Wisconsin
Medical Examining Board, Dept. of Regulation and Licensing, Phone:
608-266-2112, Fax: 608-261-7083
· Wyoming
Board of Medicine, Phone: 307-778-7053, Fax: 307-778-2069
Search Mailing Lists, News Boards, and Chat Support Groups
for Information on Doctors and Hospitals:
· Search
Yahoo Groups for Mailing Lists, Phone: 408-349-3300, FAX 408-349-3301
· Search
ListServ Mailing Lists, Phone 301-731-0440, Fax: 301-731-6302
· Topica,
Search for Mailing Lists, Phone: 415-344-0800, 415-344-0900
· Usenet
Info Center Launch Pad, Phone: 919-962-1621 or 919-962-0658, FAX: 919-962-5604
· Search
Discussion Groups on Google Groups, Phone: 650-330-0100, Fax: 650-618-1499
This site last updated on December 27, 2003.
