Saint Clare's Earns National Accreditation with Commendation from The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons
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Saint Clare's Earns National Accreditation with Commendation from The
Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons
Awarded to Facility that Exceeds Standard Requirements of Voluntary Survey
DENVILLE, NJ – July 12, 2013 –
Cancer Care at Saint Clare’s, the comprehensive oncology program for Saint Clare’s Health System,
was granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation by The Commission
on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS). To earn voluntary
CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 CoC quality
care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process,
and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered
care. Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation is only awarded to a
facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey.
Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center,Cancer Care at Saint Clare’stakes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group
of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation
oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists.
This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.
“Saint Clare’s is extremely proud of
Cancer Care at Saint Clare’s, our comprehensive oncology program,” said Leslie D. Hirsch, president
and CEO of Saint Clare’s Health System. “Receiving a three-year
Accreditation with Commendation represents quality, commitment and performance
at the highest level, every day and for each individual patient. Excellence
is what our patients expect, and we are pleased to be recognized for the
outstanding cancer care provided by Saint Clare’s.”
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for
Cancer Care at Saint Clare’s to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related
programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including prevention,
early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long
follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care. When patients receive
care at a CoC facility, they also have access to 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 documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve
cancer survivors’ quality of life.
Like all CoC-accredited facilities,
Cancer Care at Saint Clare’s maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer
Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society
(ACS). This nationwide oncology outcomes database is 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.
ACS estimates that more than 1.6 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed
in 2013. There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs
in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, 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 a CoC-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 athttp://www.facs.org/cancerprogram/index.html.
About the Commission on Cancer:
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.