SGMC’s Pearlman Cancer Center Earns National Accreditation

SGMC’s Pearlman Cancer Center Earns National Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of SurgeonsPearlman Survivorship Kit Recognized As Best PracticeValdosta, GA (11/1/13)—The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted three-year reaccreditation to the Pearlman Cancer Center at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 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.  Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, Pearlman takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists.  This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.  SGMC’s Chief Executive Officer Randy Sauls said, “Commission on Cancer reaccreditation provides great value to our patients through improved outcomes across all domains of care including access and service, satisfaction and well-being, quality of care and cancer outcomes. Reaccreditation is an extra step we are privileged to take because our physicians and staff are dedicated to providing the best in patient-centered comprehensive cancer care.” The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Pearlman 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, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.  Just this year, the Survivorship Program developed by the Pearlman Cancer Center was deemed a “Best Practice” and listed on the CoC website as a resource for other community cancer programs to use as a guide.   Like all CoC-accredited facilities, the Pearlman Cancer Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society (ACS).  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.   ACS estimates that more than 1.6 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2013.  There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, representing 30 percent of all hospitals.  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. 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: www.facs.org/cancer