New "app" from Henry Ford for cancer surgery patients

With a single tap on a smartphone, cancer patients now can access detailed information about treatment options by cancer type, GPS mapping to appointment locations, as well as schedule appointments and connect to their electronic medical record.

The new "app" from the Center for Cancer Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital is the first to be developed in the U.S. specifically for cancer surgery patients. It is free and available for download in the App Store on Android and Apple devices.

Already, the Center for Cancer Surgery app is among the top searched choices for the keywords "cancer" and "surgery" in the Apple app store.

"This app is meant to serve as an at-a-glance touch point to locate physicians and nurses on an individual patient's care team, and it is searchable by diagnosis and department," says neurosurgeon Steven Kalkanis, M.D., director of the Center for Cancer Surgery, part of the Josephine Ford Cancer Institute.

"Our hope is that this app will add another dimension to the personalized care offered to our patients and help to alleviate much of the stress and uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis by providing them with the tools and resources they need at their fingertips."

The new app provides patients with:
• Treatment by Cancer Type: Detailed information about diagnostic, surgical and research options for more than a dozen types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung and liver.
• Appointment Scheduling: A secure appointment request form to schedule a first appointment, second opinion or consult with a cancer specialist.
• "Click to Call": With the touch of a button, patients can be directly connected to a cancer specialist or nurse via the Center for Cancer Surgery's 24-hour cancer hotline at (888) 777-4167. This feature also is available on the pages throughout the app.
• GPS Directions: Get driving directions or public transportation routes to all of the JFCI locations in southeastern Michigan.
• Meet Your Team: Through photos and expert profiles, patients can "meet" their healthcare team, so they know in advance who will be caring for them.
• Clinical Trials: Through a secure form, Henry Ford can match patients to the clinical trials that would be the best fit for them, freeing patients from attempting to self-assess and wade through cumbersome trial information.
• Connect to MyChart: Patients can download and connect directly to the MyChart app, a secure electronic medical record portal that allows patients to consult their doctor via secure messaging, view lab, radiology or test results, and renew prescriptions.

Additional app features include buttons that connect patients to an educational video library, and information about the Josephine Ford Cancer Institute's tumor board, focus on quality and safety, and comprehensive care.

The app is expected to continue to grow to include even more features, including those for cancer survivors and cancer wellness information.

The Center for Cancer Surgery opened in September 2012 on the Henry Ford Hospital campus in Detroit. It is home to the Michigan's first Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) scanner and it is a national leader in neurosurgery for brain tumors and robotic surgery for prostate, kidney, gynecology, thoracic and head and neck cancers.