Regional Cancer Program Receives Three-Year Approval

Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare Regional Cancer Program Receives Three-Year Approval by American College of Surgeons(Utica, NY) The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted its three-year approval with seven commendations to the Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare Regional Cancer Center Program. “We are thrilled by the three-year approval with seven commendations for our Cancer Program,” commented Mary Kate Schuster, Cancer Program Director. “Our ability to provide exceptional cancer treatment with a dedicated and talented staff is what helped contribute to the overall success of the survey.” The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that more than 1.3 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2005. There are currently more than 1,400 CoC-Approved Cancer Programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which represent 25 percent of all U.S. hospitals. This 25 percent diagnose and/or treat 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to reducing the morbidity and mortality of cancer through education, standard-setting, and monitoring the quality of cancer care. Its membership includes Fellows of the America College of Surgeons and 40 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care.The CoC’s sets standards for quality, multidisciplinary cancer patient care; surveying facilities to evaluate compliance with the 36 CoC standards; collecting standardized and quality data from approved facilities; and using the data to develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state and local level. “The Approval Program of the Commission on Cancer sets the quality-of-care standards for cancer programs. The organization reviews the programs to make sure they conform to those standards. The standards are high and we are very pleased our Cancer Center Program at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare received approval with the commendations. It’s a compliment to our staff and their commitment to quality patient care,” stated Keith A. Fenstemacher, President/CEO.Approval by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. Facilities with CoC-Approved Cancer Programs must undergo an on-site review every three years.Receiving care at a Commission on Cancer Approved Cancer Program ensures that a patient will have access to:

• Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
• Access to cancer-related information, education, and support
• A cancer registry that collects data on type and state of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care And, most importantly
• Quality care close to home

patient data, including the data from patients at The Regional Cancer Center, are reported by each CoC-Approved Cancer Programs to the CoC’s National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program with the American Cancer Society. The NCDB currently contains patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment and outcomes information for more than 16 million cancer patients diagnosed and treated at hospital cancer programs in the U.S. between 1985 and 2003. The data accounts for approximately two-thirds of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the U.S. each year.