Lakeland Regional Health Earns Three-Year Accreditation With Commendation from Commission on Cancer

Commission on Cancer

Lakeland, FL – Lakeland Regional Health is pleased to announce its cancer program has earned a three-year re-accreditation with commendation from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.

“This high level of accreditation is a testament to Lakeland Regional Health’s commitment to provide high quality cancer care to our patients and our community,” said Graham F. Greene, MD, FACS, FRCS, Lakeland Regional Health Chief Academic Officer and Lakeland Regional Health Cancer Center Executive Director. “It also reflects the hard work of our compassionate team members to help improve the quality of life for our cancer patients, using the latest technology and evidence-based best practices.”

Only 74 programs in Florida are accredited by the Commission on Cancer. There are more than 1,500 Commission on Cancer-accredited programs in the United States and Puerto Rico, representing 30 percent of all hospitals.

This accreditation with commendation is the result of a rigorous on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor. To be accredited, facilities must prove its patients have access to the full scope of services required to diagnose, treat, rehabilitate and support cancer patients and their families. During the evaluation process, the healthcare system earned compliance on 25 standards and commendations in the following six standards: clinical trial accrual, public reporting of outcomes, College of American Pathologists protocols, nursing care, follow-up of all patients and Rapid Quality Reporting System participation.

Commendation comments from the evaluation include “excellent clinical trial accrual” and “very nice synoptic format” for Lakeland Regional Health’s pathology protocols.

“We are proud of the many ways our team members exhibit clinical excellence and dedicate themselves to redefining and uplifting the standards of cancer care,” said Mack Reavis, MD, President of Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and Chief Medical Officer of Lakeland Regional Health.

According to the CoC accreditation program standards, five elements are key to the success of an accredited cancer program:

  • The clinical services provide state-of-the-art pretreatment evaluation, staging, treatment, and clinical follow-up for cancer patients seen at the facility for primary, secondary, tertiary, or end-of-life care.
  • The cancer committee leads the program through setting goals, monitoring activity, evaluating patient outcomes, and improving care.
  • The cancer conferences provide a forum for patient consultation and contribute to physician education.
  • The quality improvement program is the mechanism for evaluating and improving patient outcomes.
  • The cancer registry and database is the basis for monitoring the quality of care.

Among Lakeland Regional Health’s programs that contribute to its accreditation:

  • Lakeland Regional Health Cancer Center’s Tumor Board that meets weekly to bring a multidisciplinary team approach to each patient’s case.
  • 36 open clinical trials with 18% participation rate at Lakeland Regional Health Cancer Center. The national standard participation rate is 2.7%.
  • Survivorship Care Program that offers follow-up care and communication.

Lakeland Regional Health Cancer Center is in the midst of a 21,800-square-foot expansion, adding 20 new chemotherapy stations with lakefront views which will bring the total chemotherapy treatment stations serving patients to 40, a larger pharmacy, a 250-seat teaching auditorium, additional parking and a chapel. Construction is expected to be completed in January 2016.

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