Holy Cross Hospital Cancer Institute Earns National Reaccreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer

Silver Spring, Md. — Holy Cross Hospital's Cancer Institute has earned full reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) that recognizes cancer care programs for their commitment to providing comprehensive, high-quality, and multidisciplinary patient centered care. Holy Cross Hospital has been accredited by the Commission on Cancer since 2000.

To earn and maintain CoC accreditation, the Cancer Institute at Holy Cross Hospital has had to meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and sustain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

Holy Cross Hospital 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, other cancer specialists and patient support teams. This multidisciplinary partnership has been proven to lead to improved patient care.

"Holy Cross Hospital's highly trained specialists work closely across multiple disciplines to provide state-of-the-art cancer care," said Pablo Gutman, MD, Chairman of the Pathology Department and Medical Director, Holy Cross Hospital Cancer Institute. "Holy Cross Hospital is dedicated to providing our cancer patients with the very best care and support they need at every stage of the continuum of care, from diagnosis and treatment, through survivorship."

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for Holy Cross Hospital 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, pain management, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up, care for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.

When patients receive care at a Holy Cross Hospital, they are offered information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient centered services including social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives, as well as plan for follow-up care.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.6 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United states in 2017. There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer. When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at a CoC-accredited cancer center like Holy Cross Hospital's Cancer Institute, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home.

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Holy Cross Health, founded in 1963 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, is a comprehensive Catholic health care delivery system that includes two hospitals and a network of community health centers in Montgomery County, Maryland. Holy Cross Hospital, the largest hospital in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, is located on the Kevin J. Sexton Campus of Holy Cross Health in Silver Spring. Holy Cross Germantown Hospital is the first hospital in the nation located on the campus of a community college. Holy Cross Health Network provides primary care at health centers located in Silver Spring, Aspen Hill, Gaithersburg, and Germantown and community education throughout Montgomery County. Holy Cross Health is a member of Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation.

The CoC, established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, 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