Patient Care Head and Neck Surgery

Head and neck surgery moves to new Siteman Cancer Center

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photo of waiting area at Siteman Cancer Center
Waiting areas of the new Siteman Cancer Center offer patients a bright view of the Central West End.

The Division of Head and Neck Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University has moved their clinic into the new Siteman Cancer Center at 4500 Forest Park Ave.

Formerly housed on the 11th floor of the Center for Advanced Medicine, the division now occupies one full hallway on the 5th floor of Siteman’s new ambulatory care building. The move provides the team with a larger space, and one specifically designed for their patients.

photo of procedure room
New procedure room for Division of Head and Neck Surgery.

For the first time, medical oncology and surgery are co-localized for head and neck cancer patients, with plans to integrate radiation oncology as well. This affords patients a true integrated, multi-disciplinary experience.

For Division Chief of Head and Neck Surgery Sid Puram, MD, PhD, the new space offers many new opportunities.

“The new ambulatory care building offers a dedicated space for cancer care, which is a major step forward for Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University, and the broader community we serve,” he said. “To be within a few feet of our fellow treating physicians in other specialties, offers streamlined care, ensures a multi-disciplinary approach, and maximizes participation in clinical trials that are pushing the frontier of head and neck cancer care.”

photo of medical assistants
Medical assistants enjoy their new space at Siteman Cancer Center.

The new suite centralizes many of the services offered to patients and includes:

  • seven exam rooms
  • one procedure room
  • two speech-language pathology evaluation rooms
  • a research participation consent room
  • office space for speech-language pathologists, medical assistants and other clinical staff

Technology integration in the new building is another major highlight. All exam rooms are equipped with fiberoptic scope towers, and all scope exams are uploaded to the cloud. In the near future, these will automatically be integrated into the Epic medical records system.

ENT Nurse Manager Laura Steinmetz (right) discusses workflows with Siteman Clinic Administrator Shauntori Nails.

For Nurse Manager Laura Steinmetz, the move required some changes to workflow.

“Moving is never easy,” she said. “But we are enjoying the newness while we work out the kinks and adjust workflows to offer our patients the best care experience possible.”