The Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) received a three-year accreditation with full commendation from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer following its recent 2012 evaluation.

That level of accreditation signifies that the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s programs meet all 36 standards set by the Commission on Cancer to improve cancer care outcomes and survival rates. Achieving accreditation involves an extensive reporting process to evaluate the care delivered. That reporting is followed by an on-site inspection by a physician surveyor.

“It is gratifying to receive recognition from an organization that is dedicated to improving access to quality cancer care for all patients,” said Peter F. Rapp, Executive Vice President and Executive Director of Healthcare at OHSU. “Congratulations to the Knight Cancer Institute faculty and staff whose teamwork, innovation and devotion to patients and their families made such a high rating possible.”

Among the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s recent accomplishments cited in the evaluation were:

• The addition of a dedicated family and supportive care manager.
• Expansion of the Knight’s multidisciplinary cancer care clinics in which a patient can meet with all the specialists who provide their care in a single day. That same day, the specialists who are providing care also consult with each other on the patient’s treatment program. These clinics are available to patients with lung, breast prostate and pancreatic cancers as well as sarcoma.
• The institute’s increased dedication to comprehensive outreach activities to extend the Knight’s services and expertise to communities throughout the region including Coos Bay, Astoria, Salem and Longview, Wash.

“The staff at the Knight Cancer Institute works every day to innovate ways to make cancer a disease that families no longer have to dread,” said Kevin Billingsley, M.D., chief of surgical oncology at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, who oversaw the accreditation application process. “Seeking accreditation is an excellent way to measure progress and ensure that the programs and services we are implementing represent the best available nationwide.”

The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer measures a cancer care facility’s level of dedication to standard setting, cancer prevention, research, education and ongoing monitoring. There are more than 1,500 accredited cancer programs, which represent about 30 percent of all hospitals in the United States and Puerto Rico. These hospitals treat about 80 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients each year. To maintain accreditation, facilities must undergo an on-site review every three years.

The program assures patients that by selecting an accredited cancer care facility they will have access to, among other things:

• A multi-specialty, team approach to their treatment.
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options.
• State-of-the-art services and equipment.