Blessing Cancer Center retains national accreditation that it has held since 1966

QUINCY — The Blessing Cancer Center has again earned accreditation from The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons, as the result of a recent survey. Blessing Hospital has held CoC accreditation since 1966. 

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.

“Commission on Cancer accreditation from American College of surgeons is a significant achievement,” board-certified radiation oncologist Dr. Rob Johnson, medical director of the Blessing Cancer Center, said in a press release. “Being accredited helps us keep our focus on staying current and monitoring patient outcomes, thereby enhancing our patient care as a team of providers.  Accreditation demonstrates our dedication to delivering the highest quality cancer care in the region and that is what our patients and their loved ones deserve.”

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Blessing Cancer Center to continuously 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.

CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer. 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.

The Blessing Cancer Center 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.

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.