You will quickly notice when you drive up to the Urology Cancer Center and walk inside that this center and its people are like no other. The center was designed to feel cutting-edge yet give you a sense of comfort during your experience. We replaced the sterile cold feeling of most medical clinics with warm features, natural and indirect lighting, and other comforts of home such as coffee from a mug and homemade cookies (healthy snacks also). We literally have patients stop by on their days off of therapy just to sit and have a cup of coffee.

You will clearly sense that every staff member you come into contact with is there for you. They are all hand-picked for their knowledge and personality. They have positive attitudes and do everything they can to help lift your burdens.

All too often patients spend hours waiting to be put in a room then wait longer for the clinical team to see them. That is unacceptable to us. We continuously learn from a patient's prior visits and more accurately know how long each future visit will likely take and schedule accordingly to stay on time. We know that patients with advanced cancer may need more time. They may have scans to review, treatment changes, or discuss end-of-life issues. This may take significantly longer and we don't want to rush such important conversations. By more accurately predicting appointment times we continuously strive to minimize patient wait times allowing more time to spend with each patient.

Dr. Luke feels strongly about the importance of educating each patient and their caregiver(s) to a level they understand. It is not uncommon for him to spend 2-3 hours with each new patient. No matter how simple and straightforward your case is or how complex, he will discuss everything thoroughly. He educates patients on what a cancer is, generally speaking, and provides extensive but simple-to-understand details about their specific type of cancer. After new patients and their families understand that, he will address their cancer situation and what all of their treatment options are including standards of care, clinical research trials, compassionate options, and "outside the box" considerations. He promises every patient that all of their questions will be answered by the time they leave and just in case they forget a question, they are all given his cell phone number and email.

Patients will experience the true team approach. During your visit with Dr. Luke, he is accompanied by a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and often a research coordinator or other staff. During the visit, the staff are relaying orders electronically and communicating with other office staff so when Dr. Luke or his NP are done with your appointment, your treatments, referrals, prescriptions, next appointments, and scans have already all been addressed. Most labs and radiology imaging are completed right in our office with results the same day.

Patients at other cancer centers are required to call an answering service after hours and on weekends and they may end up speaking with a nurse or another physician covering for their doctor. At UCC, every patient and caregiver(s) is given Dr. Luke's cell phone number and are encouraged to call and speak with him directly 24/7. If Dr. Luke is unavailable, his NPs who have also been part of your visits will cover his calls.

One of the biggest issues for cancer patients today is the high cost of care. Medical bankruptcy is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. today. The UCC Financial Team works tirelessly for our patients to avoid patient financial strains. They utilize patient foundations and pharmaceutical companies directly often to get free drug when it could otherwise cost tens of thousands of dollars a dose. Each year the Financial Team brings in several millions of dollars of free drug for UCC patients. Also by placing patients on clinical trials, otherwise expensive treatments are provided at no charge to patients. Dr. Luke wants every patient to receive the right care regardless of their insurance, lack of insurance or inability to pay.