A remarkable place where we come together every day as a team to treat and care for cancer patients and their families
Our team is comprised of highly-trained medical professionals, East Tennessee State University affiliated physicians and a host of others who are able to offer cancer care at the highest level. We recognize that the crucial ingredient in a successful and respected radiation oncology program is not the glamour of sophisticated machines and computers, but rather the compassion and skills of dedicated professionals who strive to provide the best care possible. We have assembled an experienced, intelligent, ethical and caring team to be there for you and your family throughout the healing process.
Ballad Health Cancer Care – Johnson City is designed to guide you on your journey with kindness and encouragement while aggressively battling the disease with state-of-the-art equipment, cutting-edge technology and a highly experienced medical team.
Johnson City Medical Center was chosen among “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs” by Becker’s Hospital Review, 2014, and we continue to pursue excellence in all areas of treatment and patient care. Our qualified physicians have a wide range of expertise that covers multiple diagnoses and treatments. We embrace the “Cancer Conference” approach by holding team conferences to discuss individual cases. This collaboration draws together the collective wisdom of the whole team for each patient.
St. Jude Tri-Cities Affiliate Clinic at Niswonger Children’s Hospital is also available for our youngest cancer patients and their families as they face cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Patient support
Our goal is to deliver safe, appropriate, high quality, interdisciplinary managed care using plans of care, standards of care and practice, clinical pathways and ancillary staff, as well as customer service initiatives. We strive to provide patient/family/significant others with education that reflects an assessment of learning needs, abilities, readiness to learn, cultural/religious practices, physical/cognitive limitations, possible language barriers, and to always respect the patient’s right to privacy and confidentiality. Our center offers support services such as:
- Registered dietitian
- Medical social worker
- Oncology nurse educator
- Cancer navigator
- Onsite pharmacy
- Onsite pharmacist and pharmacy specialist
- Clinical professor of pharmacy
- Lab services with special pathology
Cancer navigators
Navigating your way through cancer treatment isn’t always easy. In addition to the physical and emotional stress, there’s also a lot to keep up with – like educating yourself about your diagnosis, learning about your treatment options and keeping up with medications, appointments, insurance and payments.
Because it can be overwhelming, our cancer navigators are available so our patients will have someone to guide them through this difficult journey. From the initial diagnosis through doctor visits, surgery and other treatments, cancer navigators are there to help. They can assist with all aspects of cancer care, whether someone needs help making an informed decision, communicating with a doctor or just needs a shoulder to lean on.
Clinical trials
We participate in clinical trials offered by the National Cancer Institute and East Tennessee State University, along with other major cancer research studies. Our cancer care staff routinely reviews patient records to determine eligibility for clinical trials.
Medical oncology
Services at Johnson City Medical Center include creating personalized therapy plans, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted treatment options and hormone receptor-targeted treatment modalities. Our program is recognized for our achievements in reducing chemotherapy-related nausea/vomiting for our breast cancer patients
Radiation oncology
Johnson City Medical Center was the first hospital in the region to offer stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumors in 1997. With the recent opening of a new state-of-the-art radiation oncology facility, we are able to offer highly precise and specific treatments for our patients.
Specifically, image-guided treatments will allow us to adapt therapy to the changing anatomy of tumors with the use of onboard CT scanners. We will be better able to track the motion of tumors in challenging areas of the body, improving both the success and the safety of treatments.
These abilities will combine to allow us to deliver shorter courses of therapy. Rather than daily treatments for seven weeks, some lung cancers, for instance, can be treated in only three to five treatments. These new systems will also allow us to deliver a particular radiation therapy treatment in a shorter time, with many treatments taking only three minutes or so to do.
Radiation oncology services
Our radiation oncology facility provides the following services:
- Cancer navigators
- Two state-of-the-art Elekta linear accelerators
- Nutritional assessments & social service assessments
- External beam radiation therapy
- High dose rate brachytherapy
- Low dose rate brachytherapy
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
- Superficial/orthovoltage treatment
- Custom block preparation
- PET/CT
- Survivorship counseling and education
- Meditation room
- Children’s playroom
Hematology
Ballad Health Cancer Care – Johnson City has an oncology hematology program dedicated to treating patients with both malignant and benign diseases of the blood and immunologic disorders.
Innovative medical knowledge and new treatment methods allow our team to successfully treat and manage many hematologic disorders, including:
- Red blood cells
- White blood cells
- Platelets
- The immune system
- Bone marrow
- Blood clots
- Coagulation (such as hemophilia)
- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Multiple myelomas
Our team works closely with medical experts in radiation oncology, internal medicine, family practice and surgery to ensure the best ongoing care for our patients. Our Regional Cancer Center is the only hospital in Tennessee besides UT Knoxville, Vanderbilt, UT Memphis and TriStar Sarah Cannon, to provide malignant hematology services, including induction chemotherapy for AML/ALL, high-grade lymphoma and aplastic anemia.
Our 2017 Cancer Center Annual Report may be downloaded or viewed below.
Awards and Accreditations
Johnson City Medical Center
100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs
Becker’s Hospital Review, 2014
Certifications & Accreditations
Accredited Program
American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
Learn more
Learn more about Ballad Health’s cancer care services.