Doctor turned patient finds outstanding cancer care close to home In 2012, Dr. Peggy Bissell, an Internal Medicine specialist at Skagit Regional Clinics – Sedro-Woolley became a patient and started a journey that affirmed her belief in healing, compassion and medicine. “When you are a doctor, you know how to talk to patients and you see patients every day. But nothing can completely prepare you for the patient experience,” she said. “One of the things that I learned from being a patient is how good we are at doing this. Our doctors and staff are amazing and I really do not feel I would have gotten better care anywhere than I could have right here at home.” Dr. Bissell was diagnosed with breast cancer and started a journey of treatment at Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center under the care of medical oncologist Theodore Kim, DO. Her path was made easier by the work of The Breast Institute at the Regional Cancer Care Center where a patient navigator set up appointments and took care of the details, all the while offering support and answering questions. “They picked up the ball and ran with it. I just had to show up on time,” Dr. Bissell said of her experience. “It worked fabulously for me.”
Dr. Bissell endured two rounds of chemotherapy over five months followed by surgery. On April 1, she celebrated the one-year anniversary of her last chemotherapy treatment. Throughout her experience, Dr. Bissell said she appreciated the expertise and kindness of the providers, staff and volunteers. “There is not a person who I would rate, on a scale of one to 10, at less than 100,” Dr. Bissell said. “I was tremendously well cared for for a problem I never thought I would have in my life.” Dr. Bissell took eight months off as medical leave and during her time away from the office found her thoughts going to her patients, many of whom have complex, difficult illnesses. “My patients were an inspiration to me,” she said. As her strength slowly rebuilds, she said she is glad to be back practicing medicine and seeing her patients. “It’s neat to be back. I didn’t realize how much I missed it,” Dr. Bissell said. “Now, when I look at my schedule and I see the names of the patients I will see that day, I look forward to each one. It makes every day like Christmas.”
Theodore Kim, DO served as primary oncologist for Peggy Bissell, MD.
MyEChart links patient to information and assistance about your health Skagit Regional Clinics’ patients now have secure access to our patient portal, called MyEChart. Patients who enroll in MyEChart and receive a log in will be able to securely connect to:
• Request medication refills • Receive appointment reminders • Request non-urgent appointments • Review their Health Record, including Immunizations and Medications
• Use the portal’s Research Center to find helpful medical information For more information, please visit www.srclinics.org and click on MyEChart Patient Portal.
HealthQuest SPRING/SUMMER 2014
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