For those asking about the CPSG web site, I was also caught off guard by it's disappearance today as well and believe it at this point to be hosting problem which I've contacted the 'webmistress" about earlier today.
Hopefully, it will be up again in the near future
However, it is going through a transition as I have shared with the forum on several occasions over the last 6 months or so ( for those who read my posts)
The CK support group is dissolving and Accuray will be picking it up , inclusive of the doctors forum, in the near future. The hard truth is that web sites take time and money to operate and even though the CK web site was receiving between 300-400 thousand hits a month, there weren't a lot ( actually none) of folks hitting the "donate" button. So it is what it is, but Accuray will fund it going forward as part of their patient education effort.
It is rare that I have better contacts than Phyl, but this is probably one where I do. The CPSG board received an e-mail from the Patient relations coordinator at Accuray on Friday on a number of issues relative to CPSG. I will attach the sections specific to the web site transition so all those who are interested in that web site will know what is going on and where to find it. Again, I believe the current issue is related to the current hosting status , but this is where it will be going. Now you know what I do
Mark
So where does this leave the CPSG website and “Ask the Doctor� forum you ask?
Some of you are aware that Accuray is in the process of creating a patient educational site: www.cyberknife.com. This site has been designed and created truly as a patient education site. It will not be plastered with marketing material like logo placement and marketing jargon.
The communications team conducted its first focus group that reviewed the new site and I am happy to report the participants all had positive things to say about the content and layout. The focus group participants were not CK patients but many of them were cancer survivors and caregivers. Granted, the crowd was probably more educated than the “average Joe�, but they were all very supportive of the content and had some very useful feedback.
This site will offer patients comprehensive information about the CyberKnife treatment and have special sections that address treatment areas of the body such as the lung, prostate, head/neck (intracranial), spine, kidney, liver and pancreas. Included on the site will also be a special section on insurance and Medicare support, tips for family members and friends among other things.
The educational site will also host the “Ask the Doctor� forum. The current database that holds the forum will be replaced with a more modern version. Doctor Medbery and Doctor Spunberg have agreed to moderate the boards and provide featured guest doctors (TBD) who will respond to patient questions. The content on the old forum database will be preserved and archived. A link to the old forum will be available indefinitely. Once we switch over to the new forum the old forum will no longer be active but people will still be able to read what was posted. For new messages, they will be posted on the new forum.
All of the registered members on the CPSG site will receive an email notification approximately 2 weeks before this transition will take place.
We are also planning to create a message when people land on the various pages of the CPSG site notifying people of the move and new address.
We have a Phase II planned for the website which will include a patient advocate section and a CyberKnife community section where CK patients can add their story similar to a FaceBook page.
