NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Earns National Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons

  The Commission on Cancer, a quality program of the American College of Surgeons, has granted three-year accreditation with commendation to the cancer program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, the hospital announced today. To earn voluntary Commission on Cancer accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed its 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. Three-year accreditation with silver-level commendation is awarded only to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey.  

As a Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer center, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi 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. 

The accreditation with commendation is the result of over a year of training, coordination, and collaboration among many members of the care team at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. The hospital received special commendation for several standards, including:  

·    Oncology Nursing Care – More than 25 percent of the nursing staff is certified in cancer care.

·   Patient Enrollment in Clinical Trials – The cancer programs at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi enroll 10 percent or more cancer patients in clinical trials. Because patient access to the kinds of cutting-edge treatment available through clinical trials can benefit both current and future cancer patients, a screening process has been developed to track effectiveness.

·     Public Reporting of Outcomes – The Community Advisory Board of NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi reports on participation in screening and prevention activities.

“Our entire team worked very hard to achieve this important designation,” said Tarek Elrafei, MD, chair of NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi’s Oncology Department.

The Commission on Cancer Accreditation Program provides the framework for facilities to improve quality of care through various programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer treatment and encompass prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up, and end-of-life care. When patients receive care at a Commission on Cancer facility, such as NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services, including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.  

The new accreditation builds on earlier third-party validation of the exceptional cancer care available at the hospital, including from the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, which has recognized the hospital’s Breast Health Service as a “Center of Excellence,” and from the American College of Radiology, which has bestowed multi-year recognition of the service as a “Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.”

The hospital’s Breast Health Service performs more than 12,000 mammograms each year and provides treatment and care for more than 1,600 patients annually.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer and is looking for extraordinary care, please call 718-918-4318.