More patients in Eastern North Carolina can access Duke’s thoracic surgery care through an outreach program developed with Wilson Medical Center. Duke thoracic surgeons Hai Salfity, MD, MPH, and Jacob Klapper, MD, now provide consultations for patients with a range of diseases affecting the thoracic cavity, including lung and esophageal cancer. 

“Expanding our thoracic surgery care in Wilson helps more patients get the care they need right in their local communities. They don’t have to travel for consultative appointments or follow-up care,” says Salfity. Klapper and Salfity each see patients in Wilson one day per month. The outreach effort also includes an advanced practice provider, Roshni Mapp, to support in direct and coordinate longitudinal patient care.

“We’ll have the clinical capacity to see many patients in Wilson on our clinic days. This expedites their care with optimal convenience and also fast-tracks any additional care that they need from Duke specialists at other Duke locations, since they will be established patients in the Duke system,” says Klapper.

Before initiating clinical consultations in Wilson, Salfity and Klapper were already integrated into the Wilson clinical team. “Dr. Klapper and I have been participating in tumor board meetings with the Wilson team for some time now,” says Salfity. “So we are building upon a nice collaborative foundation.” 

Patients can have their imaging and workups completed and receive initial consultations and treatment planning, all at the Wilson location. If surgery is indicated, patients only have to travel to a Duke campus for the procedure. Then, postoperative follow-up appointments can be scheduled back at the Wilson clinic for convenience and ease. 

Salfity notes that increasing the number of consultative appointments in Wilson also speeds up the time to care and treatment. “Wait times are lower with more local clinic appointments available, which also reduces barriers for patients, like travel that requires more planned time away from work or daily life,” she says. 

Keeping care in patients’ local communities is one way Duke Health helps maximize comfort and minimize disruption in patients’ daily lives, without compromising the quality of care received. Klapper adds, “This is one example of our commitment to bring the state’s top cancer and thoracic surgery care to communities outside of the Triangle.”

Referring providers in Eastern NC can rely on this Duke-staffed thoracic surgery clinic, as well as additional resources through the larger Duke Health system, to support and care for their patients. “You and your patients have direct access. We’re happy to consult on any cases, including lung nodules, incidental findings, esophageal diseases, and other benign or malignant lung conditions,” says Klapper.