The Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program at the WVU Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center has been granted a three-year, full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.
“We’ve always been dedicated to providing the best possible care; it’s nice to have national recognition for the care we’ve delivered,” Jame Abraham, M.D., medical director of WVU’s Cancer Center and founder of the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program, said. “This is a testimony to our patient-centered treatment approach.”
“I’m proud of our institution and the people here who are dedicated to patient care. We as a cancer center accomplished this together. We are one-hundred percent a team,” Hannah Hazard, M.D., WVU breast surgeon and leader of the accreditation process, said. “We also want to thank our patients who give us the opportunity to take care of them.”
The NAPBC rates how well breast care facilities measure up to its standards of quality care. The standards include proficiency in the areas of: center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education and quality improvement. WVU’s Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program was 100 percent compliant and, in some cases, exceeded the standards set by the NAPBC.
In addition, WVU’s Betty Puskar Breast Care Center has been awarded the Breast Imaging Centers of Excellence Award and breast ultrasound imaging accreditation by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The ACR recognizes breast imaging centers that have earned accreditation in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy and breast ultrasound (including ultrasound-guided breast biopsy).
“Our goal is to provide our patients with the best available expertise, educational tools and technology aimed at the prevention and early detection of breast cancer, and we do all of this in a warm, compassionate environment that is sensitive to a woman’s needs,” Ginger Layne, M.D., a radiologist at the Breast Care Center, said. “This recognition from the ACR is proof that our approach is not only an effective approach, but it is the best approach for our patients.”
“We have an exceptional comprehensive breast care program and these organizations recognized that by granting us with accreditation,” Scot Remick, M.D., director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, said. “These awards clearly demonstrate WVU’s firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease."
WVU’s comprehensive approach to breast care and breast cancer includes a wide range of services from screening mammograms to survivorship care and points in between such as minimally invasive biopsy techniques, breast conserving surgery, genetic evaluation and high-risk management. Additionally, new breast cancer cases are discussed by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians focused and dedicated to the treatment of women with breast cancer.
Photo caption: Breast cancer patient Alison Conroy (left) talks with Jame Abraham, M.D., medical director of the WVU Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center.
