The cancer treatment and research programs at Emanuel Medical Center have recently been accredited or reaccredited by leading health care organizations for the efforts to deliver top-quality patient care.
The Emanuel Cancer Center was reaccredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, a commendation only awarded to about 20 percent of the cancer programs in the country.
The Stanford-Emanuel Radiation Oncology Center was accredited by the American College of Radiology, becoming one of only 35 accredited facilities in the state and the only one between Sacramento and Bakersfield.
The Ruby E. Bergman Women’s Diagnostic Center was also accredited for breast ultrasound by the American College of Radiology. The center is already accredited for mammography.
“These accreditations once again show the high quality of patient care available at the Emanuel Cancer Center,” said Michael Iltis, the executive director of the Emanuel Cancer Center. “They provide an independent evaluation which documents that our patient-care practices, procedures and outcomes are in-line with the best in the nation.”
The Commission on Cancer, which reaccredited the entire cancer center, is a consortium of organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Accreditation by the Commission is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance, including on-site monitoring every three years.
“What that means for patients is that the quality of treatment and care you receive at Emanuel Cancer Center is equal to any program with this accreditation,” explained Iltis. “It means we adhere to the same guidelines and follow the same treatment methodology.”
The accreditation for the Stanford-Emanuel Radiation Oncology Center and the breast ultrasound accreditation for the Women’s Diagnostic Center are both three-year accreditations by the American College of Radiology, the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiology accrediting body.
The American College of Radiology seal of accreditation is awarded only to facilities meeting specific practice guidelines and technical standards. Those guidelines and standards are developed by the College after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiologists who are experts in the field. Patient care and treatment, patient safety, image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality-control procedures and quality-assurance programs are all assessed during the accreditation review.
“When our programs and facilities are reviewed for accreditation, we receive a comprehensive report we can use for continuous quality improvement,” Iltis said. “It means our programs at the Emanuel Cancer Center will continue to be at the leading edge of patient care.”
