August 2009
MDH Cancer Program Approved by the Commission on Cancer

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the cancer program at McDonough District Hospital (MDH). The MDH cancer program has been continuously approved every three years since 1983.

Established in 1922 by the ACoS, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Accreditation 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.

MDH President/CEO, Stephen Hopper said, “Approval of the MDH Cancer Program is a measure of the quality of services MDH offers and recognizes the efforts of many people working together to provide a comprehensive cancer program.”

Cancer program surveys are a comprehensive evaluation of the entire scope, organization, and activity of a cancer program. These include a review of cancer committee leadership, cancer registry data management, clinical services, research, community outreach, and quality improvement. A survey is performed every three years by a physician surveyor who is specially trained to evaluate compliance with the 36 standards that are required for approval.

Three-Year Approval with Commendation is given only to programs that comply with all standards and receive a commendation rating for one or more standards. MDH received Commendation status as a result of their community outreach efforts including education and screening programs.

Receiving care at a CoC-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 collect data on type and stage 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.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.4 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2009. There are currently more than 1,400 CoC-approved cancer programs in the US and Puerto Rico, representing close to 25 percent of all hospitals. These hospitals diagnose and/or treat 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.

McDonough District Hospital has a 25-member Cancer Committee, consisting of a wide range of health professionals, meets quarterly and reviews policies, programs, patient care evaluations, and the cancer registry database.  Dr. Jerome Anderson, Pathologist and member of the MDH Medical Staff was chair until March, 2009 when Dr. Ed Card, Surgeon, became chair. Dr. Bruce Arnold, Pathologist, serves as MDH Cancer Program Liaison Physician.

Established in 1981, the MDH Cancer Registry currently maintains a database of over 4,000 cancer patients. Jane Schneider, RHIT, CTR, is the cancer registrar at MDH with over 15 years experience maintaining the Cancer Registry database. Under the direction of Jeannie Hamilton, RHIA, Director of Medical Records, Jane works closely with physicians, administrators, and other healthcare professionals to maintain ongoing records on each cancer patient’s history, diagnosis, therapy, and outcome. This data is used for large-scale studies and in the development of state and national statistics. For more information about the MDH Cancer Program, please call (309) 836-1557 and the MDH Public Relations office will direct your call.