Alton Memorial Hospital Cancer Program Accredited by College of Surgeons

(Alton, IL - January 25, 2010) � The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has granted three-year accreditation with commendation to Alton Memorial Hospital�s cancer program.

AMH earned the distinction following an onsite evaluation by a physician surveyor during which the hospital demonstrated a commendation level of compliance with one or more standards that represent the full scope of the program.

The survey, only conducted every three years in programs accredited by the CoC, evaluates the hospital�s compliance with 36 program standards that focus on a multidisciplinary cancer committee, cancer conferences, evaluation of quality outcomes and improvements, and a cancer registry.

�The final results from our recent survey found Alton Memorial Hospital in complete compliance with all 36 program standards,� said Dr. Mark Woodson, medical oncologist at AMH and chairman of the hospital�s Cancer Committee. �In addition, the hospital achieved commendation ratings for four of those standards for demonstrating excellence in quality care of cancer patients. These results make Alton Memorial the only area hospital with a deficiency-free survey.�

The American Cancer Society estimates than more than 1.4 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed this year. There are more than 1,400 cancer programs accredited by the CoC in the United States and Puerto Rico � close to 25 percent of all hospitals. This 25 percent diagnose or treat 80 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.

Receiving care at an accredited 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 stage of cancers, treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up;
- Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.

Cancer patient data are reported by each accredited program to the National Cancer Data Base. The NCDB contains patient demographics, tumor characteristics and treatment outcomes for more than 18 million cancer patients diagnosed between 1985 and 2004. Data is regularly used to monitor and improve the quality of patient care delivered in accredited programs.

The CoC requires programs to implement quality improvement initiatives that promote the delivery of quality, multidisciplinary cancer care and lead to ongoing educational interventions with local providers in the accredited programs.