Rapid Access Lung Program: Dr. Stephen Cattaneo Explains

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Dr. Stephen Cattaneo is a thoracic surgeon at the DeCesaris Cancer Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Center. What is that Rapid Access Lung Program? The program started as a way for the AAMC experts to find out more about patients who had abnormalities on their chest CT scans. Prior to implementation of the program, patients would often have to wait weeks or months to see a physician who specialized in chest pathology. The Rapid Access Lung Program aims to bring that time frame down to just a couple of days.

How does it work? Any physician or radiologist who notices an abnormality on a patient's CT scan can contact the program. The films from the scan will then be reviewed by a thoracic surgeon, pulmonologist and a radiologist. They then work as a team to determine the right course of action for the patient. The team will then inform the patient and the referring physician and will schedule an appointment with the patient within a couple of days.

People who are at a particular risk of developing lung cancer are smokers, those with a family history and the elderly. These are the people whose doctors may refer them to the Rapid Access Lung Program if an abnormality is found on a CT scan.

This program isn't just about screening for lung cancer. The program will assess any abnormality found on a lung scan and help determine the best course of action for the patient.

The primary goal of the program is to move patients quickly through the diagnostics phase. However, they aim to do this with significant input from the primary care physician and the patient. The patient only is contacted about follow-up appointments after the team discusses their finding with the primary care physician.