The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) recently granted three-year Accreditation with Contingency to the cancer programs at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Crosby and Riverwood Healthcare Center (RHCC) in Aitkin.
To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 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. Both programs were accredited with silver commendation in 2014.
As CoC-accredited cancer centers, both CRMC and Riverwood take 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.
CRMC and Riverwood have been partnering to provide oncology care since 2010, when they began offering oncology care services in affiliation with the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute®. The two health systems share the services of Antonio Fontelonga, M.D., who is board certified in oncology and internal medicine with more than 38 years of experience.
“Accreditation affirms CRMC’s commitment to provide our patients with cancer care that is on the leading edge of current research, technology and best practices,” said Kyle Bauer, CRMC CEO. “Our physicians and staff look forward to strengthening our cancer care through the CoC Accreditation Program.”
Riverwood CEO Chad Copper added: “This is an exciting step for Riverwood and the cancer patients we serve. Delivering outstanding quality and compassionate care for cancer patients has long been a high priority for us and now we have a stamp of approval that we are meeting rigorous national standards.”
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for CRMC and Riverwood to improve their 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, CRMC and Riverwood maintain a cancer registry and contribute data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society. 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.
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