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 Day hospitals offer tranquil environments. Treatment can range from 30 minutes to eight hours and is administered by certified oncology nurses. We also have private treatment areas. Family and friends age 16 and older are welcome. Snacks and drinks are provided for patients.
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. For pharmacy information, click Pharmacies | Great River Health.