The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, as a result of surveys performed during 2013.
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. When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer, with a team that includes surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists, resulting in improved patient care. Patients 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, Northside maintains a cancer registry and contributes 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.
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.
Many of Northside’s physicians are nationally recognized for their treatment of cancer.
