The Cancer Center at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill has earned three-year reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer, a quality program overseen by the American College of Surgeons, one year after opening.
The cancer center at Inspira Medical Center Vineland, which is part of Inspira Health, also is accredited by the CoC. 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.
Dr. Carl J. Minniti Jr., chairman, Cancer Committee at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill, said the recognition speaks to the efforts of the entire team.
“There are many components to the process and it is very clear that the members of our Cancer Committee and cancer program worked diligently to achieve the honor, which benefits our institution, but most of all benefits the patients that we serve,” he said.
The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and the quality of life for cancer patients by setting standards that promote cancer prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive quality measures, assuring that patients are receiving the best cancer care available.
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for cancer programs to improve their quality of care by focusing on the full spectrum of cancer care, including: prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care. Accredited facilities also provide access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling and patient-centered services, including psycho-social support, patient navigation and survivorship care planning.
As a CoC-accredited cancer center, Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill 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.
Dr. Erev Tubb, medical director of Cancer Services at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill, said the recognition means a lot.
“The American College of Surgeons’ accreditation process includes a rigorous examination of all aspects of a cancer program,” he said. “Our patients, as well as members of our community, can be confident that our program has met or exceeded the high standards for quality, safety and support set by the ACoS.”
Like all CoC-accredited facilities, the Cancer Center at Mullica Hill maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base.
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.
Inspira Health is a charitable nonprofit health care organization and a regional leader in physician training, with approximately 160 medical residents and fellows in 10 nationally accredited specialty programs. The system, which traces its roots to 1899, comprises three hospitals, two comprehensive cancer centers, several multispecialty health centers and a total of more than 150 access points. These include urgent care; outpatient imaging and rehabilitation; sleep medicine labs; cardiac testing facilities; digestive health and wound care centers; home care and hospice; and more than 35 primary and specialty physician practices in Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, Camden and Atlantic counties.
