The St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center has received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC). The center has been accredited by the CoC since 1985.
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.
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.
“We are incredibly proud of the St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center team, whose great compassion and clinical excellence resulted in being reaccredited by the Commission on Cancer,” said Virginia Golden, chief executive officer of St. Peter’s Hospital, an affiliate of St. Peter’s Health Partners. “This accreditation is the latest honor to recognize our cancer care team and its commitment to our patients and their families.”
As a CoC-accredited cancer center, the St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center takes 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.
“We believe patient-centered care can make all the difference when it comes to diagnosing and treating cancer,” said Wayne Holmen, director of cancer care services in Albany for St. Peter’s Health Partners. “This ongoing coordination of patient care drives the exceptional quality and excellent outcomes we offer.”
The CoC accreditation program provides the framework for St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center 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, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.6 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed this year. 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, the St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Database (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.
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.
Click here for more information about the American College of Surgeons and its cancer programs. Click here for more information on the St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center.
