Cancer Treatment Centers of America

[Killick]

Anyone have any personal experience with these places? I ask because I've finally reached my tolerance point for their weepy commercials that wreak of bull****.

In one, we get "Peggy" who had pancreatic cancer. Shockingly, at the first hospital she went to, the doctor had the audacity to tell her "Peggy, you have cancer." Cut to a weepy Peggy, who says it was oh, so hard to hear. "Like he was telling me to go to the store," she blubbers.

In another, the patient claims that her doctor woke her up after surgery, simply said "You've got cancer" then boogied on out of the room.

Both sound like BS to me.

Then, of course, both went to the Cancer Treatment Centers where they were miraculously cured. And, of course, both testimonials include the disclaimer that you shouldn't expect similar results.

After doing some web surfing, I see that CTCoA has been chided for running afoul with its advertising claims before, that insurance companies won't cover most of their treatments (a red flag, IMHO), and on this page — www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=75399 — the quaint little store we see Peggy working in is merely a prop.

So... anyone?

 

[Starman]

It always seemed a bit fishy to me. The gist of the commercials seem to be, "go anywhere else and they'll say, 'oh you have cancer, so what, who cares.' Come to our place and we'll cure you."

It's not like most conventional hospitals don't spend a hell of a lot of resources fighting cancer.

 

[Football_Bat]

My personal experience: Heart patients who go to Houston come back A-OK, while cancer patients come back in a hearse. As they say, YMMV.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

The American Cancer Society rakes in about half a billion annually, with no linear progress being yielded.

Not only an inefficient charity but an inefficient organization.

 

[txsportsscribe]

My personal experience: Heart patients who go to Houston come back A-OK, while cancer patients come back in a hearse. As they say, YMMV.

huh?

 

[TigerVols]

I'm pretty certain I interviewed one of the founders of this place 20-odd years ago. It offered cutting edge treatments, no doubt, but it had a veneer of snake oil-selling. I'd stick to the City of Hope-type treatment centers in most cities.

 

[Machine Head]

Didn't see the commercial and have no experience with this facility, but a doctor blowing a cancer patient off is something I've seen.

3-5 minute conversation telling the patient things were terminal, but that the doctor would remain the "primary physician" and would be there the rest of the way coordinating care.

The doctor walked out of the hospital room and never saw or heard from the doctor again. Ignored calls from the family and other medical staff. I did speak with the doctor's assistant several months later, after the assistant returned a call.

The patient died feeling the doctor had abandoned them.

Not saying all doctors are like this, let me be very clear about that. This was one individual.

 

[WolvEagle]

Didn't you know that each hospital/hospital chain is the greatest thing since sliced bread? At least that's what their advertisements say. One hospital chain that is in my area starts its TV commercial with a view of Earth from space and narrows it down to our metro area. The greatest hospital in the world, eh?

 

[Batman]

Didn't you know that each hospital/hospital chain is the greatest thing since sliced bread? At least that's what their advertisements say. One hospital chain that is in my area starts its TV commercial with a view of Earth from space and narrows it down to our metro area. The greatest hospital in the world, eh?

A cynic would say it's the view a lot of their patients have.

 

[mustangj17]

Didn't you know that each hospital/hospital chain is the greatest thing since sliced bread? At least that's what their advertisements say. One hospital chain that is in my area starts its TV commercial with a view of Earth from space and narrows it down to our metro area. The greatest hospital in the world, eh?

I think you can see the Oakwood parking structure from space.

 

[WolvEagle]

Didn't you know that each hospital/hospital chain is the greatest thing since sliced bread? At least that's what their advertisements say. One hospital chain that is in my area starts its TV commercial with a view of Earth from space and narrows it down to our metro area. The greatest hospital in the world, eh?

I think you can see the Oakwood parking structure from space.

Yeah, and it costs $1 every time you enter the structure. What a pain in the ass for me, my family and friends when my wife was there for 2 1/2 weeks. You've got to pay for that nice fountain/grand piano/lobby somehow, though.

 

[Boomer7]

My personal experience: Heart patients who go to Houston come back A-OK, while cancer patients come back in a hearse. As they say, YMMV.

huh?

Yeah, MD Anderson never saves anyone ... people just come there from all over the country for the breakfast tacos and kolaches.

 

[Killick]

Didn't see the commercial and have no experience with this facility, but a doctor blowing a cancer patient off is something I've seen.

3-5 minute conversation telling the patient things were terminal, but that the doctor would remain the "primary physician" and would be there the rest of the way coordinating care.

The doctor walked out of the hospital room and never saw or heard from the doctor again. Ignored calls from the family and other medical staff. I did speak with the doctor's assistant several months later, after the assistant returned a call.

The patient died feeling the doctor had abandoned them.

Not saying all doctors are like this, let me be very clear about that. This was one individual.

Now, I can't defend the abandoning thing... but I can see the 3-5 minute "terminal" discussion. Look at it from the doc's side: How many patients do you think he has to deal with? I mean, it would be nice if he hung around for a while, comforting with the patient and family, but how impossible would that job be if he let himself get that empathetic with every similar case? God, after one I'd wanna jump off a bridge.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Didn't see the commercial and have no experience with this facility, but a doctor blowing a cancer patient off is something I've seen.

3-5 minute conversation telling the patient things were terminal, but that the doctor would remain the "primary physician" and would be there the rest of the way coordinating care.

The doctor walked out of the hospital room and never saw or heard from the doctor again. Ignored calls from the family and other medical staff. I did speak with the doctor's assistant several months later, after the assistant returned a call.

The patient died feeling the doctor had abandoned them.

Not saying all doctors are like this, let me be very clear about that. This was one individual.

My mom had that issue with her doctor when she had cancer. His bedside manner was terrible and at one point, he told her that she was infringing on HIS time.

Yet, he helped her recover.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Wow, posting from the dead. Way to go!

 

[forever_town]

It always seemed a bit fishy to me. The gist of the commercials seem to be, "go anywhere else and they'll say, 'oh you have cancer, so what, who cares.' Come to our place and we'll cure you."

It's not like most conventional hospitals don't spend a hell of a lot of resources fighting cancer.

Not to mention the intimation that only their doctors have bedside manner or will take care of you no matter what your financial situation.

When both my father and I were suffering from an extended severe cough earlier this year, my father's doctor asked him if anyone else in the family had the same symptoms. When he told the doctor that I also did and had no insurance, he gave Dad twice the prescription for an antibiotic so I could also get the medication. He also told Dad that if I got sick, he would see me and would work something out.

When I had testicular cancer, my urologist could not have been better at everything. Treatment methods, bedside manner, the whole nine. He even told me "I'll take good care of you" noting that my insurance at the time sometimes had issues about paying for treatments, and that he would do so no matter what.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America sound like they're full of ****.

 

[txsportsscribe]

My personal experience: Heart patients who go to Houston come back A-OK, while cancer patients come back in a hearse. As they say, YMMV.

huh?

Yeah, MD Anderson never saves anyone ... people just come there from all over the country for the breakfast tacos and kolaches.

was hoping he wasn't taking a shot at md anderson because my mom wouldn't be here if not for the work they've done with pancreatic cancer.

 

[MacDaddy]

Didn't see the commercial and have no experience with this facility, but a doctor blowing a cancer patient off is something I've seen.

3-5 minute conversation telling the patient things were terminal, but that the doctor would remain the "primary physician" and would be there the rest of the way coordinating care.

The doctor walked out of the hospital room and never saw or heard from the doctor again. Ignored calls from the family and other medical staff. I did speak with the doctor's assistant several months later, after the assistant returned a call.

The patient died feeling the doctor had abandoned them.

Not saying all doctors are like this, let me be very clear about that. This was one individual.

My mom had that issue with her doctor when she had cancer. His bedside manner was terrible and at one point, he told her that she was infringing on HIS time.

Yet, he helped her recover.

My wife is a registered nurse and she comes home with many stories about doctors being terrible with bedside manor. In fact, many doctors are jerks to everyone -- patients, nurses, etc. A lot of them see everyone else as being beneath them, and/or they get so jaded by what they deal with on a daily basis that they lose their humanity.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

My mother was a nurse for 50 years and had more asshole doctor stories than otherwise. It's not like the neverending glut of bad medical dramas, where they're shown as respected equals who commingle.

 

[Pilot]

Didn't see the commercial and have no experience with this facility, but a doctor blowing a cancer patient off is something I've seen.

3-5 minute conversation telling the patient things were terminal, but that the doctor would remain the "primary physician" and would be there the rest of the way coordinating care.

The doctor walked out of the hospital room and never saw or heard from the doctor again. Ignored calls from the family and other medical staff. I did speak with the doctor's assistant several months later, after the assistant returned a call.

The patient died feeling the doctor had abandoned them.

Not saying all doctors are like this, let me be very clear about that. This was one individual.

My mom had that issue with her doctor when she had cancer. His bedside manner was terrible and at one point, he told her that she was infringing on HIS time.

Yet, he helped her recover.

My wife is a registered nurse and she comes home with many stories about doctors being terrible with bedside manor. In fact, many doctors are jerks to everyone -- patients, nurses, etc. A lot of them see everyone else as being beneath them, and/or they get so jaded by what they deal with on a daily basis that they lose their humanity.

I know a guy named Dr. Cox who's like that. Deep down he really cares, but it's so hard being a doctor and seeing so much heartache that he builds a wall of a-hole attitude and mean jokes and hides behind it.