MARSHALL MEDICAL CENTER EARNS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION FROM THE COMMISSION ON CANCER

Marshall’s cancer program has been granted a three-year accreditation by the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 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.

“Because we are a CoC-accredited cancer center, Marshall 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,” says Wendy Goosen Director of Cancer Services at Marshall. “This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care throughout El Dorado County.”

To help streamline the patient experience, Marshall also hired Sue Colby, RN as the Executive Director of Cancer Services at the beginning of this year. “My goal,” says Colby, “is to break down any barriers for patients to ensure they receive the utmost care.”

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for Marshall 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, Marshall 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.

Marshall is an independent, nonprofit community healthcare provider located in the heart of the Sierra Foothills. Marshall includes Marshall Hospital, a fully accredited acute care facility with 125 beds in Placerville; several outpatient facilities in Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills and Georgetown; and many community health and education programs. Marshall has over 200 licensed practitioners and over 1,600 employees providing quality healthcare services to over 180,000 residents of El Dorado County.

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