Clinical trials and increased access to cancer care are two services Hutcheson Medical Center plans to offer as part of its three-year contract with the Harbin Clinic.

Patients and hospital officials welcomed three new doctors from the clinic at a reception on Thursday, May 8 at the Mike and Leila Fuller Cancer Center at Hutcheson on the Parkway.

The doctors are Matthew Mumber, M.D., the cancer center’s new medical director; James Santoro, M.D. and J.C. Abdou, M.D. All three began work on May 1 as radiation oncologists and are affiliated with Harbin Clinic Radiation Oncology in Rome, Ga. Mumber will work at the cancer center three days a week while the other two doctors will each work one day, officials said.

“The biggest thing that I want people to notice is they can get treated here with the same level of care that they can get anywhere,” Mumber said.

He said 85 percent of cancer care is delivered at the community level while the other 15 percent comes through academic centers. The National Cancer Institute is encouraging communities to adopt the academic center model, he said, which includes offering clinical trials, developing survivorship strategies and other programs – all endeavors he plans to bring to Hutcheson’s cancer care offerings.

Hutcheson president and CEO Charles Stewart declined to say how much money the health system is spending on the contract, but he did say it was not more than what they were paying for cancer care service before now.

“This wasn’t about money,” he said. “This was about service for our patients.”

The new doctors replace Dr. Noel Scidmore whose contract ended May 3 after the hospital declined to renew it. Mike Fuller, for whom the center is named, said in an open letter last month that he was concerned about the nonrenewal.

However, Fuller, who is also a patient at the cancer center, said he is glad Hutcheson will be able to offer the new services.

“I think it’s an outstanding group,” he said. “I went over their credentials and their background. They seem not only to be good doctors, but they’re very people sensitive.”

Patient Joe Elrod and his wife, Delores, said they were confident that the physicians will offer excellent care.

“I felt like with a facility like this, whatever choice they made would be a good choice,” she said. “I think if anyone is looking for a great facility for treatment, this is it...They show genuine interest in your well-being.”

The Harbin Clinic is one of the largest privately-owned, multi-specialty physician clinics in the state, with more than 135 doctors working in 32 medical specialties, according to a written statement from Hutcheson.

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Hutcheson’s new cancer specialists

Dr. Mumber has been involved in leadership positions with the Georgia Cancer Coalition and its partners for many years. He is a board member of the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education, chairman of the Northwest Georgia Regional Cancer Coalition, and a member of the board of directors of the Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Mumber was the 2008 recipient of the Georgia Cancer Coalition Hamilton Jordan Founder’s Award.

As Physician Executive for the Georgia Cancer Quality Information Exchange in Rome, Dr. Mumber helped unite healthcare providers in Rome - including Harbin Clinic, Floyd Medical Center and Redmond Regional Medical Center - in a pilot project whose goal is to develop a statewide evidence-based cancer quality measurement program. He is also involved with the National Cancer Institute’s Community Cancer Centers Program, working through Harbin Clinic’s clinical affiliation with St. Joseph’s / Candler in Savannah, Ga., one of the 14 sites nationally participating in this pilot program. If fully implemented, NCCCP will help bring state-of-the-art cancer care to patients in community hospitals across the United States.

Dr. Mumber speaks throughout the country on integrative oncology and, in 2006 he published the textbook “Integrative Oncology: Principles and Practice,” which explores a comprehensive evidence-based approach to cancer care, addressing all individuals involved in the process. He helped found Cancer Navigators, Inc., a nonprofit organization offering cancer patients in Floyd, Chattooga and Polk counties access to nurse navigation, social services, and educational programs that support and augment the clinical care they receive from their healthcare providers.

Dr. Santoro received his medical doctorate degree from the University of Bologna in Italy. He completed a residency at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York and Mallinkrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Dr. Santoro completed a research fellowship at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and joined Harbin Clinic in 2005.

Dr. Santoro is a member of the American Medical Association; American Society of Clinical Oncology; American Society of Therapeutic Oncology; and Tri-County Medical Society. He was the recipient of the 2006 Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award given by the Commission on Cancer.

Dr. Abdou received his medical doctorate degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in West Indies, following the completion of his undergraduate studies at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. He completed a residency in radiation oncology at The Ohio State University, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio. He completed an internship at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey. He is board-certified in radiation oncology by the American Board of Radiology. Dr. Abdou was recently named a Cancer Liaison Physician for the Commission on Cancer. He joined the Harbin Clinic in 2005.

Source: Hutcheson Medical Center

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