GOOD SAMARITAN REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER RECEIVES NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM COMMISSION ON CANCER OF THE
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has granted its Outstanding Achievement Award to Good Samaritan Regional Health Center. The hospital is one of a select group of only 90 currently accredited and newly accredited cancer programs across the United States and the only healthcare facility in southern Illinois to receive the distinguished award.
“Excellence is the minimum requirement in our cancer program and this award is a testament to our exceptional team that day in and day out strive for nothing short of it – every discipline involved is dedicated not to treating cancer, but beating it and I am honored to be a part of it,” stated Yagnesh Oza, M.D., medical director of oncology at Good Samaritan Regional Health Center.
The Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients. The award was granted to the hospital because it demonstrated a Commendation level, or highest level of compliance with seven standards that represent six areas of cancer program activity: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical management, research, community outreach, and quality improvement.
“Families faced with cancer often think that quality cancer care doesn’t happen close to home – this national achievement shows that quality, compassionate cancer care happens everyday at Good Samaritan,” said Mike Warren, President of Good Samaritan Regional Health Center.
The level of compliance with the seven standards is determined during an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor. In addition, facilities must receive a compliance rating for the remaining 29 cancer program standards. Ninety programs, including Good Samaritan Regional Health Center, received the Outstanding Achievement Award as a result of surveys performed in 2010. This prestigious award was received by only 17 percent of the program surveyed in 2010.
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival 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 and representatives of 47 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care.
The Commission on Cancer’s core functions include setting standards for quality, multidisciplinary cancer patient care; surveying facilities to evaluate compliance with the 36 Commission on Cancer standards; collecting standardized, high-quality data from accredited facilities; and using the data to develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state, and local levels.
There are currently more than 1,500 Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer programs representing 25 percent of all hospitals in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. These accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat 71 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients each year. Receiving care at a Commission on Cancer accredited cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to the full quality spectrum of comprehensive cancer care.
In addition, cancer patients’ data are reported by each Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer program to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program with the American Cancer Society (ACS). This data accounts for approximately two-thirds of all newly diagnosed cancer cases in the U.S. each year, and are used regularly to monitor the quality of patient care delivered in Commission on Cancer accredited cancer programs and to improve cancer care outcomes at both the national and local level.