The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendationto the cancer program at the Riverside Shore Cancer Center.?To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 quality care standards, be evaluated every three years, and maintain specified levels of excellence in comprehensive patient-centered care.?This Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation is only awarded to a facility that exceeds requirements at the time of its triennial survey.?In addition, the Riverside Shore Cancer Center received commendations in all seven accreditation standards where commendation is possible.
Jane Duer, Business Office Manager and Tumor Registrar, CTR, remarked "Receiving this accreditation with commendation is the result of the dedication, professionalism and hard work of our staff.?This is the third such commendation for our program and shows our commitment to consistently providing patient-centered care and exemplifies the Riverside Care Difference."?She went on to explain "Accreditation benefits our patients because it proves that our care meets national standards;?it increases participation in care decisions by patients and family;?and it guarantees patient access to important components of treatments.?Our patients and families know they have access to quality care close to home."
Accreditation standards set the framework for high-quality, patient-centered care with access to the full scope of cancer care services required to prevent, diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and support.?Patients have information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that seeks to improve cancer survivors' quality of life.??
Mr. Tankred Mahler, a recent patient at the Cancer Center, added, "I can't say enough good things about the care I received from the doctors to caregivers.?The staff radiate genuine compassion and care.?When I was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I was at a complete loss.?However, with their professionalism and dedication, I'm now in my fifth year of treatment, a time frame I had no reason to expect.?My family knew that we were getting the best care we could, and it allowed me to focus on my treatments and recovery. ?We're all deeply grateful for the care we received."
Like all CoC-accredited facilities, Riverside Shore Cancer Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB, the largest clinical disease registry in the world.?Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care.?CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional, and state benchmark reports.?These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.??
There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited national cancer programs representing 30 percent of all hospitals.?CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients.?When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at an accredited cancer center, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home. The CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services, and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program through the CoC Hospital Locator at http://www.facs.org/cancerprogram/index.html.
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care.?Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons.?For more information, visit: www.facs.org/cancer.
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