Dr. Drew Dill started his fellowship training in oncology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2011.
“As part of my fellowship, I was able to perform rounds and care for patients at multiple hospital systems here including the VA Hospital, the Med, Methodist Hospital Systems and Baptist,” says Dr. Dill, who had the opportunity to treat cancer patients in the various, and significantly different, hospital systems and environments in Memphis. “Every day I’m reminded how happy I am that I made the decision to stay at Baptist.”
Dr. Dill says one of the most important reasons he chooses to work at Baptist Cancer Center is the patient-centered nature of Baptist Memorial Health Care.
“The support that we have through our referral network and our electronic medical records platform makes it very easy and efficient to get in touch with our patients, and for them to get in touch with us,” says Dr. Dill, who treats a number of conditions, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and sickle-cell disease. “Plus, because all our systems are integrated, everything I am doing for the patient, their primary care doctor within Baptist is able to see. And if their primary care doctor thinks their patient has an issue that I should be aware of, they instantly message me so I’ll know to address that. It really makes patient care real time.”
Another strength, according to Dr. Dill, is the support of Baptist’s referral center and a commitment to getting new patients seen and scheduled as soon as possible.
“They are really keen at getting a patient in knowing they have a new diagnosis of cancer,” says Dr. Dill. “That’s one of the biggest things I’m glad to carve out in my schedule each day. So even though my schedule may be booked, we will make room for them. We will get them in very quickly. If you call my office, they might say I’m booked for eight weeks, but the patient doesn’t want to wait that long and I don’t want my patients to wait that long with that type of diagnosis.”
Dr. Dill says that the world of oncology has become so complex now with so many options and treatments for patients that the doctors at Baptist Cancer Center work together to develop individualized treatment plans for patients.
“There is just so much that goes into taking care of cancer patients, and Baptist Cancer Center has given us oncologists the freedom and resources to do so much more for our patients,” says Dr. Dill. “That is what really stuck out to me about Baptist when I was working at all the different systems in this region, and it still sticks out to me because it allows me to be able to focus on the care of my patient.”
