Cancer Center at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Awarded Accreditation by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons
The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) granted the Cancer Center at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (St. Luke’s) a three-year Accreditation with Commendation for 2011 through 2014. The accreditation program sets national quality-of-care standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure compliance.
The CoC accreditation recognizes the commitment of the Cancer Center at St. Luke’s to the Houston community, as well as to national and international communities. The CoC accreditation acknowledges organizations that provide specialized and personalized cancer care services. The Cancer Center at St. Luke’s provides a wide scope of cancer care and quality studies that are implemented to improve access to care and patient outcomes.
“The Cancer Center at St. Luke’s is among 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the United States and Puerto Rico, representing close to 25 percent of all hospitals. This 25 percent of hospitals diagnose and treat 71 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients each year,” said Luis H. Camacho, MD, MPH, medical director of the Cancer Center at St. Luke’s and chairman of the Cancer Committee. “The Cancer Center at St. Luke’s excels in cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement.”
Receiving care at a CoC-accredited cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to comprehensive care; 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 and offers lifelong patient follow-up; and quality care close to home.
Established in 1922 by the ACoS, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons and representatives of 47 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care. For more information about the CoC, visit facs.org/cancer.
