FAQ

  • The NH-BMT program is a comprehensive clinical transplant program offering autologous, related allogeneic, haploidentical allogeneic, cord blood, and unrelated donor transplants. The structure of the NH-BMT program has the following key components, which have resulted in superior transplant survival outcomes:

    The NH-BMT program is patient-focused, placing the patient at the top of the treatment pyramid.

    BMT physicians Kent Holland, M.D., Lawrence Morris, M.D., Asad Bashey, M.D., Ph.D., Scott Solomon, MD, Melhem Solh, MD and Liza Bachier, MD have completed advanced post-hematology/oncology fellowships in bone marrow transplant at prestigious universities. (See Physician Bios)

    All NH-BMT program staff members undergo extensive training and competency assessment annually. The NH-BMT program does not employ medical students, interns, residents, or fellows. Please review our Physician Bios, Our Team.

    Complies with the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), Advancing Transfusion and Cellular Therapies Worldwide (AABB), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance. (Please review About Us).

    Maintains a comprehensive quality management program under the direction of the FACT Program Director, Dr. Kent Holland, and the Manager of Cellular Therapy and Leukemia Program, Melissa Horowitz, RN (See QI Program).

    Seven dedicated clinical BMT PharmD’s with extensive BMT experience (Please review Our Team).

    Participates in cutting-edge clinical research trials with the NCI-BMT CTN, CIBMTR, pharmaceutical sponsored, and investigator-initiated trials. For more information, please see Research.

    For the fourteenth consecutive year, 2009–2022, NH-BMT’s commitment to quality patient care has resulted in the program achieving survival outcomes that significantly exceed the expected range in related and unrelated allogeneic donor transplants, as published by BeTheMatch/National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), www.bethematch.org. For additional information, please review Patients- Why NH-BMT and Survival.

  • Insurance card

    Driver’s license

    Current medical records, if applicable.

    These items will be used to obtain a Northside Hospital medical record number and to register you within the Northside billing system.

  • When your referring physician makes a new patient consult referral to the NH-BMT program, you will be assigned a BMTGA physician, cellular therapy clinical coordinator, and advanced practice provider.

    What is a cellular therapy clinical coordinator? The nurse coordinator organizes and coordinates your new patient consult (and pre- and post-BMT evaluation studies), ensuring all of your referring physician's medical records are sent to BMTGA prior to your consultation. Your coordinator will be a point of contact for you, communicating prior to your appointment and meeting with you on the day of your new patient consultation.

  • The NH-BMT program realizes BMT patients will need many support services during the transplant and recovery process. Patients have access to counseling, dietary and nutritional counseling, physical therapy, caregiver support groups, and BMT financial services. In addition, patients have access to the Cancer Support Community. Read more on Patient Resources. Additionally, our BMT health psychologist will meet with you at the time of your pre-BMT evaluation and will follow you throughout the transplant/recovery process. For more information, please see Our Team.

  • Yes, your health care insurance will be verified by the BMTGA and NH-BMT’s financial coordinators. At the time of verification, the following will be obtained: lifetime maximum coverage, transplant benefits, co-pays, deductibles, and clinical research benefits. Prior to the transplant, our financial coordinators will also obtain your insurance companies’ medical approval for the transplant. Please review Patient Resources for additional information.

  • Our program is set up so that each physician will see their new patient for a consultation and will rotate on a weekly basis from the NH-BMT Unit to the BMTGA Infusion Facility. For all important decisions (re: disease treatment or management, family conferences, and discharge back to your referring physician), you will see your designated BMT physician.

    In the NH Inpatient Unit, you will be seen daily (or more often) by the designated BMT Inpatient physician as well as the BMT inpatient mid-level practitioner staff. BMT physicians will change every Thursday morning.

    In the BMTGA Infusion Facility, you will see your physician’s designated mid-level practitioner each time you are being seen in the facility as well as the assigned outpatient BMT physician. Your assigned coordinator will also be available to you.

  • At the time of your new patient consult, your BMT physician will speak directly to your referring physician regarding future treatment and BMT recommendations.

    A written letter outlining future treatment and BMT recommendations (with supporting references) will be mailed to your referring physician.

    Your referring physician can speak with your BMT physician at any time by calling 404.255.1930).

  • Your assigned cellular therapy clinical coordinator will coordinate and organize your pre-BMT schedule. You will have access to your assigned coordinator throughout the transplant process. Read more on the BMT Process.

  • The BMTGA Infusion Facility is open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    Your caregiver or family member may stay with you during your treatment.

    The BMT Infusion Facility is able to administer chemotherapy, IV antibiotics, IV antifungal(s), IV electrolyte replacements, packed red blood cells and platelet transfusions, IV fluid hydration, and various blood tests.

    During mobilization and high-dose chemotherapy, you may be required to come to the BMTGA Infusion Facility every day for treatment. Right after your stem cell infusion, you will be required to come to the BMTGA Infusion Facility every day for treatment. As you get stronger, your BMT Infusion Facility appointments will decrease. Please review additional Outpatient Facility information.

  • During the BMT transplant process, it’s important that you live no more than fifty miles from BMTGA/Northside Hospital. You may need to live closer to the BMT facilities. This may mean you have to make temporary arrangements. We’re here to help.

    We encourage you to inquire if your insurance company has travel benefits. You may be able to stay at discounted hotels located within a few miles of the BMTGA and Northside Hospital.

    Your designated coordinator will work with you to coordinate and organize your lodging location.

    Click here for more Lodging information.

  • The NH-BMT Program has designated BMT financial coordinators to assist you during the transplant process.

    At the time of your pre-BMT evaluation, your coordinator will designate a time for you tcoordinator and a BMTGA (physician) financial coordinator. During this time, the BMT Patient Resources will review your insurance policy, co-pays and deductible information with you.

    o meet with a NH’s BMT financial

    The NH-BMT financial coordinator will review your insurance policy as it relates to the BMT technical/hospital related charges that will be billed to your insurance company.

    The BMTGA financial coordinator will also review you your insurance policy with you as it relates to BMTGA Infusion Facility technical fees and physician professional fees.

  • Caregivers serve as your advocate and are an integral part of your support system. We ask that all patients have a caregiver during the transplant process. Your cellular therapy clinical coordinator will help you organize the support of your caregiver(s).

    However, we understand not all patients will have a support system throughout the entire BMT process. For these patients, additional or extended inpatient hospital admissions or stays for mobilization, high dose, and BMT infusion may be needed.

  • Most patients receive their mobilization and high dose chemotherapy at the BMTGA Infusion Facility as an outpatient. You may also get treatment at the NH Infusion Facility or as an inpatient at the NH BMT Unit. The nursing staff has extensive training in administering mobilization and high-dose chemotherapy. For additional information, please review Our Team.

    Depending on the type of mobilization or high-dose chemotherapy drugs you receive, you may be required to receive therapy at the NH-BMT Unit. This will be discussed with you during your pre-BMT evaluation.

  • Most patients will be admitted to the NH-BMT unit the day of their BMT infusion.

    The time for you to be admitted to the BMT unit will be coordinated prior to the BMT infusion.

    Once you are admitted to the BMT unit, you will have your BMT infusion. You will remain in the BMT unit, on average, for an additional four hours. If there are no complications, you will be discharged from the BMT unit and report to the BMTGA Infusion Facility the next day.

    If you are not well enough to be discharged after your BMT infusion, the inpatient BMT Unit physician may require you to stay additional days in the BMT Unit.

  • One caregiver or one family member or friend may stay overnight with you during your NH-BMT Unit admission.

    Anyone staying overnight or visiting you cannot have a cold, fever, respiratory symptoms (cough, runny nose), GI symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea), or flu-like symptoms.

    If you have been exposed to any of these symptoms, you will need to contact your mid-level practitioner or BMT physician immediately.

    Daily visiting hours are 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. We have flexible visiting hours. We do ask that no more than two visitors be present in your room at one time. The staff may ask your visitors to step out of the room if they are performing a procedure. There is a family waiting room on the unit for family and visitors.

    Please note, children under the age of 10 are not allowed in the NH-BMT Unit. This protects you and other patients from potential infections.

  • The NH-BMT Unit is a closed, hepa-filtered facility.

    What is a hepafiltered facility? The BMT unit has a special air filtering system that maximally protects patients from infectious bacteria and fungus that can be transmitted through the air.

    Every person who enters the BMT Unit must first wash their hands, put on a gown over their street clothes, and put shoe covers over their shoes. Again, this is to help protect you and other patients from contacting infections from the environment outside of the BMT unit.

    To enter the BMT unit, you must go through two door systems.

    The BMTGA Infusion Facility is also a hepafiltered facility (see above).

    Until your blood counts return to normal, you will be required to wear a mask to and from the BMTGA Infusion Facility to protect you from the outside environment.

    You will not be able to go into public places until you get permission from your BMT physician.

    Your caregiver will need to stay with you during your treatment at the BMTGA Infusion Facility.

    Your caregiver must not have any type of cold, respiratory, GI, or flu-like symptoms.

    If you have been exposed to any of these symptoms, you will need to contact your advanced practice provider or BMT physician immediately.

    No child under the age of ten is allowed in the BMTGA lobby or infusion facility. This is to protect you and other patients from potential infections.

  • Most autologous patients will be discharged back to their referring physician on Day 50 after BMT infusion.

    Allogeneic and MUD patients will be discharged back to their referring physician on Day 100 post BMT infusion. This will only occur if you do not have any BMT complications that will require additional follow care and observation.

  • The post-BMT discharge procedure synthesizes efforts between your BMT physician, advanced practice provider, and coordinator. Each of these individuals has a specific role in ensuring your discharge from the NH-BMT program is coordinated and organized.

    Your coordinator will arrange the following:

    Make your first appointment post-discharge with your referring physician.

    Fax your referring physician the mid-level transplant summary dictation and provide written discharge instructions to include when to schedule a follow-up referring MD appointment, when to have blood count draws, an immunization schedule, and when post-BMT evaluation studies should be performed. Please refer to Post BMT Discharge Information.

    Upon discharge, your BMT physician is always available to speak to you or your referring MD.

  • At the time of discharge, your coordinator will review with you a time schedule for disease evaluation post-transplant.

    A NH-BMT long-term follow-up coordinator will contact you several weeks prior to the required time point for your post-BMT evaluation studies and will coordinate a time with you for these studies.

    As a post-BMT patient, you will be required to return to the NH-BMT program for your post-BMT disease evaluation studies.

    After your post-BMT disease evaluation studies, you will be required to come back to meet with your BMT physician to review the test results.

    All post-BMT evaluation study results will be faxed to your referring physician’s office. If needed, your BMT physician may contact your referring physician to discuss the results of your disease evaluation studies. For more information, please review the post-BMT evaluation studies.