Melissa Accordino, MD: Inside Cancer Care at The One
Prioritizing convenience for a unified cancer care experience.
This fall, Westchester gained a new front door to advanced care. Designed to make it easier for patients to access top-tier clinical expertise and seamless coordination of care, NewYork-Presbyterian The One brings specialists and state-of-the-art facilities together in a single, integrated location. The 240,000-square-foot center features nearly 200 clinical rooms, 10 state-of-the-art operating rooms, 20 infusion bays, diagnostic imaging, interventional radiology, rehabilitation services, and specialty care across more than 90 disciplines—all supported by the latest technology and access to clinical trials at the Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Rather than grouping care by specialty, NewYork-Presbyterian The One is organized into “Centers of Excellence,” bringing together experts across disciplines. Patients receiving cancer care can now see many of their specialists all in one state-of-the-art, new space.
“A patient at NewYork-Presbyterian The One gets the same Columbia care closer to home,” says Melissa Accordino, MD, hematology/oncology lead at NewYork-Presbyterian The One. “We bring the same disease-specific expertise here, and every patient’s care is determined with the full power of Columbia behind it. Surgery, pathology, interventional radiology, medical oncology, diagnostics- we are all connected.”
Care designed for life’s realities
NewYork-Presbyterian The One is located closer to where many Columbia patients live, and Dr. Accordino stresses the importance of this simple distinction. “To have a beautiful, convenient place that’s low stress, especially during a stressful time in someone’s life, makes a difference,” says Dr. Accordino. “If a patient lives in Westchester, being able to come here instead of commuting into the city removes so much noise. They can focus on themselves and on getting better.”
The convenience doesn't mean compromise. NewYork-Presbyterian The One offers on-site clinical trials, allowing patients to access cutting-edge new cancer treatments close to home. “I’ve already enrolled a patient in a clinical trial here,” she says. “As we expand, we’ll open even more.”
Free valet parking and a location convenient for Westchester and surrounding communities also make for easier infusion days - days that often require patients to sit in a chair for hours. The 20 new infusion bays are designed for comfort: bright, modern, and spacious, with room for family members to sit alongside their loved one during long treatments without having to worry about tolls or parking fees accumulating while they wait.
Expanding with intent
“We have the entire enterprise at our disposal,” Dr. Accordino says. “If a patient needs something elsewhere, we help navigate that. They’re not left to figure it out on their own.”
Ambulatory surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian The One includes brand-new operating rooms, a private family suite and a streamlined experience that keeps patients in the same comfortable space before and after procedures.
Beyond clinical care, NewYork-Presbyterian The One is designed to serve as a community hub. Plans are underway for clinician education seminars, prevention and screening events, and outreach for local physicians and families.
“The hope is that this becomes a true connecting point,” says Dr. Accordino. “Patients have been asking for a space like this for years- a little more low-key, a little more comfortable, without losing any of the world-class expertise they trust.”
At NewYork-Presbyterian The One, that vision has become reality. It offers the same exceptional cancer care Columbia is known for, delivered in a way that honors patients’ time, needs, and daily lives.
“It’s exciting to be able to expand in a way that’s more comfortable for patients,” Dr. Accordino says. “We’re fitting care around the patient. Not forcing them to fit around us.”
