Press Releases (2010)

Elkhart General Hospital's Cancer Program Earns Three-Year Accreditation
July 29, 2010

ELKHART, IN - The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has awarded a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the Regional Center for Cancer Services at Elkhart General Hospital.

Elkhart General Hospital received the Accreditation following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which Elkhart General demonstrated a Commendation level of compliance with one or more standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program (cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement).

Receiving care at a CoC-accredited cancer program ensures that each patient at Elkhart General Hospital 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 and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up; ongoing monitoring and improvement of care 
• and most importantly, quality care close to home

The core functions of CoC include: setting standards for quality, multidisciplinary cancer patient care; surveying facilities to evaluate compliance with the 36 CoC standards; collecting standardized and quality data from accredited facilities; and using the data to develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state and local level.

Elkhart General Hospital is one of 1,400 Commission on Cancer accredited cancer programs in the United States and Puerto Rico, representing close to 25 percent of all hospitals. This 25 percent of hospitals diagnose and/or treat 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.

As part of the approval process, the Elkhart General Regional Center for Cancer Services publishes an Annual Report for the public. A copy of the 2009 Annual Report can be found at www.egh.org. For more information regarding the cancer program at Elkhart General Hospital, call Community Relations at (574) 523-3303.

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About Elkhart General Hospital
Elkhart General Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit hospital located in Elkhart, Indiana. The full-service, 325-bed main hospital is comprised of 330 physicians representing 30 medical specialties, and over 2,000 employees serving in nursing, technical, administrative, and support capacities. The Elkhart General Hospital website is www.egh.org.

About the Commission on Cancer
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates 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 and 42 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care.

The Accreditation Program, a component of the Commission on Cancer, sets quality-of-care standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure they conform to those standards. Accreditation by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. To maintain accreditation, facilities with CoC-accredited cancer programs must undergo an on-site review every three years.

Through an exclusive partnership with the American Cancer Society, the Commission on Cancer provides the public with information on the resources, services and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program. This information is shared with the public on the American Cancer Society’s website at www.cancer.org and through the American Cancer Society’s National Cancer Information Center at 1-800-ACS-2345.

For more information about the Commission on Cancer, visit www.facs.org/cancer/index.html.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Peggy Randolph
Elkhart General Hospital, Project Coordinator
Phone (574) 523-3303
Email prandolph@egh.org
Website www.egh.org