FOR RELEASE
February 3, 2012
Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Cancer Center Receives New Accreditation
HICKORY-The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons
(ACoS) has granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the Cancer
Program at Catawba Valley Medical Center.
A facility receives a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation following
the on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which the facility
demonstrates a Commendation level of compliance with one or more standards
that represent the full scope of the cancer program (cancer committee
leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community
outreach and quality improvement). In addition, a facility receives a
compliance rating for all other standards.
“Receiving this three-year accreditation means that we’re going
the extra mile to ensure we’re striving for the highest quality
standards,” said J. Anthony Rose, President & CEO of Catawba
Valley Medical Center. “It shows our dedication to providing cancer
care to our community and the broader area we serve. We are honored to
be recognized for our Cancer Center.”
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is the
consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival
rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting,
prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality
care. Its membership includes the Fellows of the American College of Surgeons
and 42 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care.
The core functions of the CoC include setting standards for quality, multidisciplinary
cancer patient care; surveying facilities to evaluate compliance with
the 36 CoC standards; collecting standardized and quality data from accredited
facilities; and using the data to develop effective educational interventions
to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state and local level.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that more than 1.5 million
cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2011. There are currently more than
1,400 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, representing
close to 25 percent of all hospitals. This 25 percent of hospitals diagnose
and/or treat 71 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.
In addition, a national network of more than 1,600 volunteer Cancer Liaison
Physicians provides leadership and support for the CoC Accreditation Program
and other CoC activities at these local facilities.
The Accreditation Program, a component of the CoC, sets quality-of-care
standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure they
conform to those standards. Accreditation by the CoC is given only to
those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing quality
cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review
of their performance.
To maintain accreditation, facilities with CoC-accredited cancer programs
must undergo an on-site review every three years. Receiving care at a
CoC-accredited cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:
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Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
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A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
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Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
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Access to cancer-related information, education and support
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A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment
results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
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Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
And, most importantly,
Each CoC-accredited cancer program reports its cancer patient data to the
CoC’s National Cancer Database (NCDB), a joint CoC/American Cancer
Society program. The NCDB currently contains patient demographics, tumor
characteristics and treatment and outcomes information for more than 18
million cancer patients diagnosed and treated at hospital cancer programs
in the U.S. between 1985 and 2004. These data account for approximately
two-thirds of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the U.S. each year.
NCDB data is regularly used to monitor and improve the quality of patient
care delivered in CoC-accredited cancer programs. The CoC requires programs
to implement quality improvement initiatives that promote the delivery
of quality, multidisciplinary cancer care and lead to ongoing educational
interventions with local providers in the CoC-accredited cancer programs.
Though an exclusive partnership with the American Cancer Society, the
CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services and
cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program. This
information is shared with the public on the American Cancer Society’s
Web site at
http://www.cancer.org and through the American Cancer Society’s National Cancer Information
Center at 1-800-ACS-2345. For more information about the Commission on
Cancer, please visit
http://www.facs.org/cancer/index.html.
Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest
not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without
direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving
as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive medicine
and acute care. CVMC has received three Magnet designations from the American
Nurses Credentialing Center and has been recognized for providing “An
Outstanding Inpatient Experience” for a fourth consecutive year
by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information, please visithttp://www.catawbavalleymedical.org.