Myeloma Center

Welcome to the New York Weill Cornell program for multiple myeloma. To make an appointment or to find out more about our myeloma program, please call:

212-746-3964

We hope to make your visit to our doctor’s office as efficient and comfortable as we can. In order to be able to do that, this will help to let you know who is here in the staff in addition to the doctor with whom you have an appointment.

Attending Physicians: Each patient seen in this department has an attending physician. All of the physicians in Medical Hematology/Oncology are board certified in internal medicine and hematology or oncology or both. Your attending physician is responsible for your care and treatment here. Sometimes you are referred to a specific physician who is an expert in the type of cancer that you have. Sometimes you are referred to this hospital because there are special treatments that are only done here or the physician who is a specialist in that area works here. The attending physician has other responsibilities in a teaching hospital/medical school. Some of these responsibilities include teaching fellows, collaborating with Nurse Practitioners, teaching medical residents and students, working in laboratory research and being responsible for the in-patient unit (usually 1 month a time). If you need to be admitted to the hospital for any reason, the physician who is attending of the month may not be your attending physician who sees you in the outpatient area. However, your attending physician has regular communication with the inpatient attending physician and will usually visit you while you are hospitalized.

Hematology/Oncology Fellow: Fellows are fully licensed, credentialed physicians who are receiving special training in hematology and oncology. In addition to patient care, fellows are also working in laboratories doing research. Many of the treatments and medications that are used in cancer have been developed in these type of laboratories. You may be seen by a fellow with or without your attending physician.

Nurse Practitioners: these are registered nurses with advanced education and certification in New York State. Nurse Practitioners (NP) work in collaboration with a physician and share a caseload of patients. NP’s can perform a physical examination, order diagnostic tests; make referrals to other health care professionals and can prescribe medication. In addition, NP’s are experts in helping you to manage any symptoms that you may experience from your disease and/or your treatments. The NP will help teach you about the specific treatment that you are getting, and will work with you other health care professionals (for example, cardiologist) so that there is good communication and will decrease the chances that your medications will interact, causing you problems.

Research Nurses: these are registered nurses who work with the doctor who is conducting a clinical trial (research study) in which you may be participating. The research nurses are experts in the details of the research study, the medications that you may be taking and their side effects, and when you need to be seen here. The research nurses will explain everything about the research study and they are an excellent source for you and your family. Please feel free to ask the research nurse with whom you are working, anything about your treatment or any medical problems that you feel that you may be having whether or not it’s related to the research study.

Infusion Area Nurses: these are registered nurses who have been specially educated to administer chemotherapy, blood products and other intravenous treatments. They are able to teach you about the treatments that you are receiving and to explain the possible side effects of treatments. The nurses will also be able to give you written information regarding your disease and resources that can give you help such asCancer Care, the American Cancer Society, Leukimia and Lymphoma Society,Multiple Myeloma Foundation, etc. these nurses are experts regarding diseases and treatments that are done here, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask them. If they don’t know the answer, they will be able to find someone who will.

Medical Secretary: Each doctor has a secretary who answers your telephone calls, sets up your appointments and takes care of the forms that you may need to have completed. The secretary must keep your medical file up to date and also communicates with the other doctors and hospital that are involved in your care and treatment. Sometimes, the secretary must also take care of setting up conferences and meetings for the doctor to attend. If you are put on hold when you call, please understand that the secretary is busy with someone else. Please be patient. If you need a form to be filled out, please fill out as much as you can before giving it to the secretary. Also, leave enough time for the form to be properly filled out. If you need to have the appointment pre-certified, please let the secretary know who will be doing the pre-certification. Don’t forget to bring the federal form your primary care provider.

Medical Technicians: these are people who have been certified to take and record your height and weight, temperature, pulse, blood pressure and take your blood according to the tests that your doctor feels that you need to have done. They are not nurses and so, they cannot take blood from your central venous access device (if you have one). Sometimes, the medical technicians will help the doctor do a procedure if you need to have one done.

Billing Clerks: these are the people who work with your insurance companies so that your visits and/or treatments here will be paid. The billing people are experts in medical billing and payment and if you have any question regarding your bill or your coverage, please feel free to meet with one of them. They will also know about the need for pre-authorization for any testing that the doctor might order for you.

Pharmacists: there are pharmacists who are specially trained to compound and dispense medications that are used to treat cancer. These medications must be prepared under very exact conditions and doses must be very carefully calculated. The pharmacist will be a resource to the entire medical team regarded side effects, drug interactions and proper dosage and administration. The pharmacist will be able to provide education for you and your family about the medications that you are taking.