July 25, 2019 – The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), has granted Three-Year with Commendation Accreditation, Gold Level, to the comprehensive community cancer program at El Camino Health’s Mountain View Hospital. To earn Three-Year with Commendation Accreditation Gold Level, a cancer program must exceed all of the CoC quality care standards at the time of its triennial survey and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.
“[El Camino] has one of the best community cancer programs in the country as [they] have demonstrated compliance at a very high level,” said CoC surveyor James B. Harris MD, FACS, upon completion of the survey.
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for El Camino Health to provide quality 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, life-long follow up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care. Patients 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 care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
“Our dedicated cancer team is committed to doing all that is possible to help our patients overcome their diseases. This gold level commendation validates that our processes and standards for high-quality care are developed for optimal healing,” said Mark Adams, MD, chief medical officer of El Camino Health’s hospitals.
El Camino Health maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society. This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are 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. These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.
What does this mean for patients?
When an individual chooses to seek care at El Camino Health, they are gaining access to advanced, personalized cancer care, close to home. We offer guidance and support during diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Our multidisciplinary team approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. Every decision made is based on a single team objective to beat cancer by elevating care. With this approach, we have achieved outstanding outcomes for five-year survival rates for breast, colon, prostate, lung and uterine cancers.
About The Commission on Cancer (CoC)
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes 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. For more information, visit The Commission on Cancer (CoC) website.
