Berlin, Md.
– 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 the
John H. ‘Jack’ Burbage, Jr. Regional Cancer Care 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, the Burbage Regional Cancer
Care 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.
“Creating a new program and bringing together the physician specialists,
clinical and support team required for accreditation by the Commission
on Cancer requires tremendous effort and community support. Atlantic General
has created a very important program to ensure that the best cancer care
is available right here in Berlin,” stated Michael Franklin, president
and CEO of AGH.
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Burbage Regional
Cancer Care 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, the Burbage Regional Cancer Care 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.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.7 million cases
of cancer will be diagnosed in 2018. There are currently more than 1,500
CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. CoC-accredited
facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed
patients with cancer. 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. The CoC provides the public
with information on the resources, services, and cancer treatment experience
for each CoC-accredited cancer program through the CoC Hospital Locator at
www.facs.org/search/cancer-programs.
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/cancer.
About Atlantic General Hospital
Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the
residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset (Md.) and Sussex (Del.) counties
since May 1993. Built by the commitment and generosity of a dedicated
community, the hospital’s state-of-the-art facility in Berlin, Md.,
combines old-fashioned personal attention with the latest in technology
and services. It provides quality specialty care such as weight loss surgery,
orthopedics, outpatient infusion for individuals with cancer or blood/autoimmune
disorders, retina surgery and a comprehensive women’s diagnostic
center. Atlantic General Health System, its network of more than 40 primary
care providers and specialists, care for residents and visitors throughout
the region. For more information about Atlantic General Hospital, visit
www.atlanticgeneral.org.
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