The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients, is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. Since 1922, this high-quality program of the American College of Surgeons has been setting the standard in cancer prevention, research, education and comprehensive quality care.
At AdventHealth, all of our campuses are accredited by the CoC. This high honor speaks to our dedication to maintaining quality patient care by adhering to their rigorous standards set by the American College of Surgeons. Read more about CoC accreditation and what it means to our cancer patients at AdventHealth Waterman.
What does CoC Accreditation Mean for Cancer Patients?
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for its hospitals to improve quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care. This includes prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease, as well as end-of-life care.
When patients receive care at a CoC facility like AdventHealth, they also have access to educational information on clinical trials, new treatments, genetic counseling and patient-centered services like psycho-social support, a patient navigation process and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
Breast Center of Excellence
In addition to our accreditation, Waterman has also received NAPBC, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, another quality program of the American College of Surgeons.
AdventHealth Waterman received this designation for meeting national standards of excellence for providing comprehensive, patient-centered, multidisciplinary care and demonstrating high-quality clinical outcomes for patients with breast disease.
As with other CoC programs, Patients receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling and patient-centered services, including care navigation.
How does a Hospital Receive CoC Accreditation?
To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, continue to be evaluated every three years through a survey process and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.
Because we’re a CoC-accredited hospital, we take a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases. This requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.
A Partnership a Century in the Making
As we congratulate the CoC on their 100th anniversary, we honor the accomplishments and standards that have vastly improved quality of care for our cancer patients. Coc-accredited programs diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer. We are humbled to be counted among these programs and are dedicated to serving our cancer patients with whole-person, quality care for centuries to come.
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. Learn more about our CoC-accredited cancer program and how we can help you here.
