News

Tunnell Cancer Center Earns National Recognition for Quality

12/22/05

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted a Three-Year Approval with Commendation to the Tunnell Cancer Center at Beebe Medical Center.

While Tunnell Cancer Center has consistently received approval from the Commission on Cancer, this is the first time it has gained the coveted Commendation designation.

The Commission grants the Three-Year Approval with Commendation to a cancer facility following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which the facility must demonstrate a Commendation level of compliance with one or more standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program. These standards include cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement.

According to the Commission, approval is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that agree to undergo a rigorous performance evaluation.

We are extremely proud to have earned the Commission's highest approval award, said Cherrie Rich, Director of the Oncology Service Line and Integrative Health at Beebe Medical Center. This is a tribute to all of those involved in the cancer program, including not only the medical oncologists, radiology oncologists and cancer center nurses and staff, but the pharmacists and all those in the laboratory, in dietary, in home health and community outreach, and those in our Tumor Registry who accurately report the data. This true team effort signifies our commitment to our patients and our community.

The Tunnell Cancer Center, which opened in November of 1995, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Its growth has paralleled that of eastern Sussex County. Tunnell Cancer Center began with two doctors and a handful of staff. Today, it is served by five specialist physicians, staffed by about 50 employees, and visited by more than 150 patients a day. Construction already has begun on a new building at the Beebe Health Campus on Route 24 that will house the center sometime in 2006. The new premises are more than double the size of the area in which the center is located at Beebe Medical Center on Savannah Road.

Tunnell Cancer Center provides progressive, compassionate and comprehensive care. It offers patients the latest in chemotherapy and radiation treatment, as well as screenings, education materials and dietary counseling, support groups and outreach programs. Over the years, many of its patients also have had the opportunity to take part in clinical trials used to study the latest breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

Each year the Cancer Center's Tumor Registry studies Beebe's patient outcomes for two of the five most common cancers. This past year it looked at breast and bladder cancer, and the statistics have revealed that Beebe's patient outcomes continue to be above the national average.

Stories about 12 cancer survivors who have been treated at Tunnell Cancer Center are told in a 2006 calendar that has just been published. That calendar is available free at the Tunnell Cancer Center, telephone (302) 645-3770. The latest annual report will be available soon.

The Commission on Cancer was established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons. It 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 40 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care.

According to the Commission, receiving care at a CoC-approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:

· Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the art services and equipment.
· A multi-specialty 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 state of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up.
· Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.
· Quality-care close to home.

There are more than 1,400 CoC-approved cancer programs in the United States and Puerto Rico, representing close to 25 percent of all hospitals. This 25 percent diagnose and/or treat 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.

Each CoC-approved cancer program reports its cancer patient data to the CoC's National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint CoC/American Cancer Society program. The NCDB contains patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment and out-comes information for more than 16 million cancer patients diagnosed and treated at hospital cancer programs in the United States between 1985 and 2003. These data account for about two-thirds of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the United States each year. Visit the Web site www.facs.org/cancer/index.html for more information about the Commission on Cancer.