Marshall Re-earns National Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons

Marshall’s Cancer Program has been granted a three-year reaccreditation by the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. Marshall earned this reaccreditation by meeting 34 CoC quality care standards and maintaining high levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered care.

As a CoC-accredited cancer center, Marshall takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of conditions. Composed of a Hematology/Oncology Clinic, Outpatient Infusion Center, and Cancer Resource Center, Marshall’s Cancer Program facilitates consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other allied cancer care team members. The Cancer Resource Center also provides education, nutrition support, outreach, and social services, in addition to patient navigation, classes, support groups and other supportive services for both patients and their caregivers.

“This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care throughout the entire patient journey, from illness to health, from fear to hope,” says Megan Threadgill, Cancer Program Coordinator/Department Lead.

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, long term follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care. Marshall’s medical oncology physicians are board certified in hematology and oncology and recommend individualized treatment plans for each patient with use of next generation sequencing based on up-to-date data, combined with a strong, patient-centered approach. When patients receive care at Marshall, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services.

Marshall also 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.