Effective Oct. 16, the medical practice known as Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute will begin providing all cancer treatment services in the Sharon Morse Office Building located on the campus of The Villages Regional Hospital. Medical services to be offered include medical oncology, radiation oncology and chemotherapy, all in one convenient golf car accessible location, and under one medical administrative structure.
For the past five years TVRH had contracted with the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa to operate its radiation treatment services at the Sharon Morse location. The initial understanding was that over time, additional services would gradually be added to reach the goal of a comprehensive cancer treatment center at The Villages, similar to what Moffitt provides in the Tampa area. However, recently TVRH received notification from the leadership of Moffitt that the strategy of expanding services beyond their current scope (providing physician specialists in the area of radiation therapy) was no longer going to be an option.
“As a result, we chose to seek out a relationship with Florida Cancer Specialists, which already operates four medical oncology offices in our area,” said Don Henderson, President and CEO of the Central Florida Health Alliance, parent company of TVRH. “FCS has grown over the past few years to be one of the largest providers of cancer treatment services in the United States. In Florida, they operate in more than 80 different locations, with more than 200 medical providers. Their current research institute affiliations also allow them to participate in many clinical trials, so that patients in The Villages can be assured they will have access to the latest technology and cancer treatment options.”
The new agreement between The Villages Regional Hospital and Florida Cancer Specialists enables board-certified radiation oncologist Sachin S. Kamath, MD, previously a Moffitt physician providing care at the center, to join FCS. Dr. Kamath will remain the primary physician provider for all radiation oncology treatments at the same location and will work with the same clinical and support team, ensuring that there is seamless continuity for patients. The same leading edge technology—including the Varian TruBeam, ™ which provides the most advanced precision in radiotherapy treatment—will remain in place and will be utilized as appropriate.
In addition, over the coming weeks sections of the offices formerly occupied by Moffitt will be renovated, so that all Florida Cancer Specialists offices currently in The Villages can be consolidated at the new location. When these renovations are completed, it will result in the creation of The Villages’ first truly comprehensive cancer treatment center, with all treatment modalities conveniently located in one location on the ground floor of the Sharon Morse Office Building.
A letter is being sent to all current Moffitt Cancer Center patients announcing this transition. This letter also contains information on how patients can gain access to their medical records either electronically or in paper format in order to transfer them over to FCS or another provider.
