MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Comprehensive Breast Care Program at the WVU Cancer Institute has again been granted a full three-year accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. This is the breast care program’s third consecutive full accreditation.
“Accreditation by the NAPBC validates that the care we deliver to women in West Virginia and the surrounding area meets agreed upon national standards,” Hannah Hazard, M.D., surgeon in chief and director of clinical services at the WVU Cancer Institute, said. “It helps our patients know that they can come to us with confidence, knowing they’re getting nationally recognized, high-quality care.”
A breast center that achieves NAPBC accreditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease. Accreditation 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.
The Comprehensive Breast Care Program uses a multidisciplinary team approach to create an individualized, tailored treatment plan for each patient. Patients are able to see breast surgeons and oncologists, genetic counselors, social workers, and clinical trial specialists in one appointment, allowing the entire cancer treatment process to begin sooner and patients to get on the road to recovery faster. In most cases, patients are able to meet with a radiation oncologist and breast reconstruction surgeon during their first visit.
“Our multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer sets us apart from many other breast care programs because we’re able to bring so much expertise in so many different areas together in one setting. This allows us to individualize each patient’s care based on their own personal needs as well as what is necessary to treat their cancer,” Dr. Hazard said. “We’re already exploring support resources for survivorship before the patient has begun treatment.”
For more information about the NAPBC, visit their website at www.accreditedbreastcenters.org.
