The UConn Health Center’s cancer programs have been awarded another three-year accreditation with commendation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
It’s the third consecutive survey period in which the Health Center’s cancer programs have received such commendation. The Health Center’s cancer programs have been accredited continuously since 1977.
“You have a robust program, a program you can be proud about,” Dr. Arnold Herman, the on-site reviewer for the commission, told the UConn Health Center Cancer Committee at the conclusion of his visit Nov. 6. “The people of Greater Farmington are very fortunate to have access to such great resources so close to home.”
“It’s refreshing to hear what we all know,” says Dr. John Taylor, the committee chair. “Our cancer programs include very impressive teams of people who touch the lives of today’s patients with their care and tomorrow’s patients with their research. This survey once again reinforces that.”
The Health Center earned commendation in six areas:
- Clinical trial accrual
- Cancer registrar education
- Public reporting of outcomes
- College of American Pathologists protocols
- Abstracting timeliness
- Data submission and accuracy of data
“This accreditation by the American College of Surgeons with commendation in six areas shows our continuous emphasis on the quality of care, clinical trials and patient safety, among other aspects, in our cancer programs,” says Dr. Pramod Srivastava, director of UConn’s Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer. “We continue to work harder to higher levels of excellence in every single area.”
To earn voluntary Commission on Cancer accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 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.
When patients receive care at a facility accredited by the Commission on Cancer, 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.
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the Commission on Cancer 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.
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