13 hospital systems in 11 states ... and counting
Mark Cripe, D.O., is a surgeon with the nonprofit OhioHealth network in Columbus, Ohio. But attached to the lapel of his white coat is a pin bearing the name of MD Anderson in Houston.
It’s a shiny symbol of OhioHealth’s designation as a certified member in the MD Anderson Cancer Network® — designed to bring MD Anderson’s clinical expertise to community hospitals and advance cancer care across the country.
Certified member institutions provide the caregivers and facilities, while MD Anderson provides its expertise and evidence-based guidelines to help elevate cancer care.
Though MD Anderson physicians are not on site and do not meet with patients one-on-one, they weigh in on patient care by consulting with peer physicians.
To date, 13 hospitals and health systems in 11 states are certified members, including OhioHealth’s Grant Medical Center, where Cripe is a general surgeon who cares for breast, endocrine and melanoma cancer patients. Health systems and hospitals must pass rigorous reviews and credentialing processes to earn the certified member designation from MD Anderson.
“As a certified member in the network, I know I can call on MD Anderson’s clinical expertise when needed,” Cripe says. “And my patients who have an especially rare or complex cancer can stay closer to home in Ohio and be assured that their care plan has been reviewed, discussed and validated by MD Anderson specialists in Houston.”
During the past year, 32 MD Anderson physicians provided some 500 consultations to certified member physicians. That number is expected to increase as the certified member program continues to grow.
Certified members and the dates they joined the program:
