HMH Earns National Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons

The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted three-year accreditation to the cancer program at Harrison Memorial Hospital (HMH). To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. 

Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, HMH 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, and other cancer specialists.  This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care. 

“By achieving this accreditation, we demonstrate to our community and remind ourselves of the importance of a daily commitment to quality cancer care. It is our goal to provide an excellence within a program that can diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and support through a lifetime of a patient need,” says Sheila Currans, HMH Chief Executive Officer.  “The HMH Board of Directors, Medical Staff and employees acknowledge the structured program like CoC provides HMH with a model that holds us all more accountable for timely, appropriate care that is based in evidence.” 

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for HMH 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, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.  When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient centered services including 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.  

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, HMH maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society.   This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world.  Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care.  CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional, and state benchmark reports.  These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.  

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.7 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2018.  There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico,  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, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home. The CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services, and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program through the CoC Hospital Locator at https://www.facs.org/search/cancer-programs.

About The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC 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

About Harrison Memorial Hospital
Harrison Memorial Hospital, located in Cynthiana, KY, is a community-owned, not-for-profit, 61-bed hospital, established in 1906.  It offers a full range of services and an exceptional staff.  HMH has an outstanding 19-member active medical staff, with more than 100 physicians on its consulting medical staff.  Harrison Memorial is considered by its peers as a progressive entity in rural health.