Cancer Treatment Centers
of America
CTCA was founded in the early 80s by Richard J. Stephenson after his mother died of cancer. He was devoted to developing treatment centers which had a holistic philosophy though entirely professional practice for treatment of cancer. Every patient who is accepted is worked with by a team of physicians in order to treat all facets of cancer and the myriad of disorders which can arise from it. This is very different from standard American practice in that doctors do not typically work together, rather referring patients back and forth between one another for the treatment of specific disorders. This attempt to avoid cancer becoming fatal simply because of physicians' failure to communicate has been met with exceptional results, making CTCA one of the top cancer oriented treatment organizations in the country. Unfortunately, they will not accept patients who have no medical insurance. CTCA utilizes all accepted forms of cancer treatment known to modern science; including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, and the use of angiogenesis inhibitors.
Mayo Clinic
The earliest form of the Mayo Clinic was developed in 1916 with doctors believing that health care was of such importance that its application not be controlled and limited by accounts and administrators. They began largely as a research facility which was considered one of the most effective in pioneering new methods of treatment and surgical technique until the late 50s. Since then it's been documented in newspapers and legal journals alike that the quality of treatment available at the Mayo Clinic has become fraught with danger. The Mayo Clinic is known for the wide range of illness which they attempt to treat. Sadly, the treatments they offer seem to be quite mundane. Cancer, for example, is only being treated with common radiation and chemotherapy. Their saving graces seem to be the high number of clinical trials and research experiments they perform to this day. Also, they will accept uninsured patients for treatment.
Comparison
In regards to convenience, Mayo Clinic has centers in Florida, Arizona, and Minnesota. CTCA has centers in Oklahoma, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. CTCA takes the vast majority of known healthcare plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Mayo Clinic does not. CTCA has not had any lawsuits for medical malpractice leveled against it in the history of its operation. Mayo Clinic has been sued several times a year since its inception. Mayo Clinic claims they are a non-profit organization, CTCA does not. However, in 2005, Mayo Clinic was indicted and found guilty of charging those patients who had no insurance significantly more for treatment than those who possessed medical insurance. This violates the guidelines of what constitutes a non-profit organization and is contrary to Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act of Florida, where this violation occurred. Mayo Clinic, by dint of their status as a non-profit and research organization (regardless of whether they actually constitute such an organization) is cleared for a high number of clinical trial treatments for cancer and other diseases. CTCA have no such clearance, their only drawback when one compares facts.
Tags: Mayo Clinic, Cancer Treatment Centers, Centers America, high number, high number clinical
