Grady Health System earns Commission on Cancer reaccreditation

Grady Health System announced on Sept. 12 that its Cancer Center for Excellence — a facility dedicated to cancer prevention and screening, treatment, research and education — has earned reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) program. Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1922, the multidisciplinary consortium of professional organizations is “dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive quality of care.”

“This accreditation demonstrates Grady’s commitment to providing top-notch, patient-centered cancer care,” Pooja Mishra, vice president of oncology and sickle cell at Grady, said in a press release. “Not only do our patients receive the full range of services necessary to diagnose and treat their cancer, but they also have access to clinical trials, screening and prevention events, palliative care, genetic counseling, rehabilitation, oncology nutrition, and survivorship services.”

Opened in 2003, the Cancer Center for Excellence treats thousands of cancer patients each year. The center has earned a number of achievements throughout the years, including College of American Pathologists and American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer accreditation. In 2017, the center joined the Alliance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care.

According to Grady Health System’s press release, the Cancer Center for Excellence’s reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) also allows the center to continue providing potentially life-saving data for cancer research nationwide.

“Grady maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Database, a joint initiative of the CoC and the American Cancer Society,” the health care provider reported. “This clinical oncology database is sourced from hospital registry data collected from CoC-accredited facilities. These data are used to analyze and track patients’ diseases, treatments, and outcomes. Online reporting tools provide the program with comparative benchmarks for similar programs. In addition, the program has access to reporting tools for quality improvement, quality assurance, and surveillance.”