The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted three-year accreditation to the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC) at UC San Francisco (UCSF). 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. The UCSF cancer program has been continuously accredited by the CoC since 1933, demonstrating its commitment to the best outcomes possible for its cancer patients.
Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, HDFCCC 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.
“We are very pleased to have received full accreditation from ACS’s Commission on Cancer for the full three-year period,” said Laurel Bray-Hanin, MA, vice president and chief operating officer of UCSF Health Cancer Services. “This accomplishment reflects the dedication of our clinicians and staff to meet the highest standards of cancer care for our patients.”
The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for UCSF Health to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, oncology nursing, genetic counseling, rehabilitation, nutrition, palliative care, survivorship care, psychosocial support services, and access to new clinical trials and new treatments.
Like all CoC-accredited facilities, HDFCCC 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.
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.