Cancer Committee REPORT
Accreditation by a nationally recognized organization demonstrates a commitment to excellence in quality, service and patient care. Renown Institute for Cancer has been accredited by the nationally recognized Commission on Cancer( CoC) since 1999. Our doctors and staff provide standards of care for cancer that are constantly improving to provide the best evidence-based cancer care to northern Nevada and western California.
Implementing the American College of Surgeons’ CoC standards lies with our Cancer Committee. I have a long working relationship with the CoC and currently serve as a national surveyor for the organization. Compliance with the standards is a major undertaking and cancer programs are constantly challenged to improve the care they provide.
As part of a response to the Institute of Medicine report in 1999, the CoC changed standards from“ Ensuring Quality Cancer Care” to“ Patient Centered.” These changes included:
1. Navigating patients through the medical system and identifying barriers.
2. Identifying psychosocial problems that could prevent a patient from completing their cancer therapy.
3. Providing patients with a“ survivorship care-plan” so that they have a better understanding of the care they have received and what they should expect in their post treatment or“ survivorship years.”
Renown Cancer Committee reviews the compliance with the CoC standards throughout each year. If problems or barriers are identified, the committee comes up with novel ways to address them. Allied health professionals, supportive care staff and nurse navigators joined the cancer team not only to provide direct care, but also to assist with implementation, monitoring and improvement of these important standards.
This cancer committee meets six times each year to help provide guidance to the overall care of the cancer patient and to the cancer program. This is just another example of the commitment by the physicians, nurses, allied health and administrative personnel for the patients in our region.
With Warm Regards,
James B. Harris, MD, FACS Cancer Committee Chair Medical Director of Commission on Cancer Accreditation and Quality
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