The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted Three-Year Accreditation to the cancer program at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. 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.
Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, Camden Clark Medical 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.
“I am honored to work alongside the multidisciplinary members of the Cancer Committee who worked diligently through the pandemic to go above and beyond to care for our community as a whole while maintaining special focus on our cancer patients and maintaining the quality and strength of our cancer program,” said Reinnie Leavitt, Director of Cancer Services at the WVU Cancer Institute Camden Clark Comprehensive Regional Cancer Center. “The specific years for accreditation review were 2020 and 2021, which presented challenges none of us had ever contemplated, let alone faced. This amazing team and dedicated CCMC employees worked tirelessly to provide the very best care to our patients and excelled at every turn, just as they did each day before the COVID pandemic and still do today.”
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for Camden Clark Medical 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, 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, Camden Clark Medical Center 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.
“We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer,” said Sabir Hussain, MD, Medical Director of the WVU Cancer Institute at Camden Clark. “This accreditation is a testament to the expertise, experience and dedication of our caring team of providers and clinical staff. Distinctions such as this allow us to ensure the communities we serve have access to the highest quality, state of the art care right here in the Mid-Ohio Valley.”
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.
“Receiving this prestigious accreditation from the Commission on Cancer enhances our mission to meet the healthcare needs of our community for a lifetime,” said Steve Altmiller, WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center President and CEO. “We applaud our colleagues at the WVU Medicine Camden Clark Regional Cancer Center on their efforts and commitment to providing our patients the highest standard of cancer care, affirmed by this recognition from the CoC.”
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/cance