Morehead Cancer Center gets 3-year accreditation

From staff reports

Published: December 4, 2008

Morehead Memorial Hospital’s Smith-Michael Cancer Center has been granted a three-year accreditation with commendation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
This certification is awarded when a program complies not only with all standards deemed necessary for providing quality cancer care but also excels in several of these standards, according to a news release from the hospital.
The Approvals Program of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer ensures that cancer centers: utilize a multidisciplinary approach to coordinate the best available treatment options; emphasize comprehensive care with ongoing monitoring and quality improvements; have a cancer registry offering lifelong patient follow-up; provide access to prevention and early detection programs; and offer cancer education, support systems and information about ongoing cancer clinical trials and new therapies.
The Commission on Cancer also tracks national, regional and local cancer-care patterns and trends through the National Cancer Database. The Smith-McMichael Cancer Center was surveyed by Dr. Frederick L. Greene, head of the Commission on Cancer and a surgeon in North Carolina.
“It’s interesting to note that only one in four, or 25 percent, of cancer programs achieve this special accreditation rating, and we are pleased to be acknowledged for our commitment to our cancer program,” Morehead Cancer Committee Chairman Dr. Henry Fleishman said in the release.
“Furthermore, this select group of cancer programs will diagnose and treat 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year in the United States. It’s estimated that more than 1.4 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed and 565,650 deaths from cancer will occur in 2008.”