What does CoC accreditation mean for the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center and UC Health?
“The Commission on Cancer reaccreditation is an extension of our commitment to putting patients and families first. As an academic health system with access to clinical trials and advanced care methods, we value the opportunity to contribute to improving cancer care across the nation,” says Amanda Jackson, MD, UC Health physician and associate professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “This long history of CoC accreditation would not be possible without the unique talents and unwavering commitment of our staff.” Dr. Jackson serves as the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center’s Commission on Cancer Chair.
The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center includes over 90 cancer specialists, including subspecialty and multidisciplinary expertise in 10 expert disease groups that treat the rarest forms of cancer with the latest technology. It serves as the region’s only head and neck cancer center, offering complex surgical reconstruction including microvascular techniques, and is only one of only two proton therapy centers in Ohio and one of only 39 centers in the U.S.
How has the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center met the rigorous CoC accreditation standards?
CoC accreditation standards require programs to 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.
One of these requirements is adopting a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases, which requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists—multidisciplinary partnerships result in improved patient care. At the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, a weekly tumor board involving subspecialists from across all disciplines meets weekly to discuss patient progress and treatments.
The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center also established the region’s first and only oncology primary care clinic, which offers services targeted toward improving patients’ quality of life. The Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Services Program provides healthy lifestyle and integrative health care options specific to cancer patients. These supportive care programs use evidence-based therapies such as counseling and emotional support, yoga therapy, nutrition classes and acupuncture to help patients manage symptoms, reduce stress and live their best lives possible both during and after treatment.
As a CoC accredited program, The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society. This nationwide oncological outcome database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world and includes data on all types of cancer. The data is 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, which in turn help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.
