Mary Bird Perkins at STPH Reaccredited by Commission on Cancer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  - July 7, 2015                                                                            

Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons Reaccredits
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital

(Covington, La.) The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital. To earn CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 CoC 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. Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation is only awarded to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey. 

CoC-accredited facilities take a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care. 

“We constantly aspire to a higher level of care for our patients, and this reaccreditation validates our ability to sustain clinical excellence and a premier patient experience,” said Jack Khashou, Cancer Center administrator. 

In order to receive the commendation designation, facilities must comply with all standards at the time of survey and receive a commendation for one or more of the following standards:

• Clinical Trial Accrual
• Cancer Registrar Education
• Public Reporting of Outcomes
• College of American Pathologists Protocols
• Nursing Care
• Rapid Quality Reporting System Participation
• Accuracy/Date Submission to National Cancer Data Base

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Cancer Center 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, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care. When patients receive care at a CoC-accredited facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve quality of life after cancer.  

“Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital provides innovative and comprehensive services so that patients throughout our region can remain close to home and access exceptional care throughout their cancer journey,” said Khashou.

Nationally CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients. When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at a CoC-accredited cancer center, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home. The CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services, and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program through the CoC Hospital Locator at http://www.facs.org/cancerprogram/index.html.

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital provides comprehensive cancer care services including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, as well as patient navigation, clinical trials and free cancer community screenings. The Cancer Center is nationally accredited with commendation and recognized for excellence in cancer care by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Not only do patients have access to these vital cancer services and high quality cancer care, but these services are readily available close to home.    

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