KDMC earns 7th consecutive accreditation from Commission on Cancer

The cancer program at King’s Daughters Medical Center has earned accreditation with commendation from the American College of Surgeons, Commission on Cancer (CoC). It is the seventh consecutive CoC accreditation for the program.

“I am very proud of the outstanding care our cancer program delivers to our patients,” said Jeffrey Lopez, M.D., cancer committee chair. “Our team works tirelessly to deliver the most up-to-date, advanced treatments to our patients, to maintain data consistently and accurately, and to comply with the highest standards,” he said.

As a result of the team’s diligence, KDMC’s cancer program achieved three-year accreditation with commendation as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center at the silver level. King’s Daughters received commendation on five of the chapters that comprise the accreditation review, Dr. Lopez noted.

CoC accreditation is designed to improve overall cancer care and provide patients with information to help them identify programs that adhere to high standards. Accreditation assures patients with cancer that they are receiving:

• Quality care close to home
• Comprehensive care
• A multidisciplinary, team approach
• Information and education
• Patient-centered services
• Options for genetic assessment and counseling, and palliative care services
• Care monitoring and quality improvement
• Treatment planning based on evidence-based national guidelines
• Clinical trials and new treatment options
• Follow-up care including a survivorship care plan
• Patient tracking through the cancer data system

“It takes a great team to achieve this level of accreditation for 21 straight years,” said Darlene Shaffer, cancer program leader. “Our physicians, nurses, nurse navigators, certified tumor registrars, dietitians, pastoral and palliative care teams, social workers, and support staff deserve a lot of praise for their work on behalf of our patients and the community.”

In awarding the silver commendation status, the CoC surveyor noted that KDMC places “great emphasis on accruals to (clinical) trials.” King’s Daughters’ affiliation with the Markey Cancer Center was cited as an important benefit to patients throughout the region.

The surveyor commended KDMC’s pathology team for its excellent support of the cancer program and its total commitment to College of American Pathologists protocols.

KDMC received commendation for implementation of Rapid Quality Reporting System strategies and RQRS data and for its compliance with National Cancer Data Base standards.

Finally, the surveyor commended the program’s excellent print and Internet distribution of public reports on cancer treatment, research and outcomes.

For more information about the cancer program at King’s Daughters, please visit kdmc.com/cancer.