KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Bronson Healthcare system’s regional cancer program with cancer centers in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo has received accreditation from the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer (CoC).
The three-year Integrated Network accreditation encompasses both Bronson Cancer Centers. Bronson Cancer Center in Battle Creek held individual accreditation between 1995-2021.
“Accreditation as an Integrated Network Cancer Program reflects our team’s commitment to the communities we serve,” said Mark Montross, director of practice administration for Bronson’s cancer centers. “It means, when cancer patients and their families come to Bronson, they can expect to receive high-level care from a multidisciplinary team that ranks among the best in the nation.”
To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 38 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. Programs are judged for accreditation based on how well comprehensive care is delivered in the following areas.
- Comprehensive, patient-centered care through a multidisciplinary team approach
- Access to information on clinical and new treatment options
- Ongoing monitoring of care and lifelong patient follow-up
- Psychosocial support and survivorship care
- Continuous quality improvements in care
“We are committed to transforming cancer care across the region,” said Dr. Randy Mudge, radiation oncologist and physician-in-chief for Bronson’s Cancer Program. “Our approach to cancer treatment is to surround each patient with the local resources they need. A combination of prevention and education, along with high-quality, timely care from diagnosis through treatment, is at the cornerstone of all we do.”
Officials say when patients receive care at a CoC facility, 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.
- Bronson Cancer Center – Battle Creek has been accredited with the CoC since 1995. It has also been a recipient of the CoC Outstanding Achievement Award several times.
- This is the first accreditation for Bronson Cancer Center – Kalamazoo which opened in 2021.
- Both Bronson Cancer Centers are Accredited Breast Centers (NAPBC).
- Bronson Cancer Center – Battle Creek also holds the prestigious ASTRO APEx accreditation for radiation oncology.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.4 million cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in the United States. There are currently only 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 cancer patients.
For more information, visit: www.facs.org/cancer.
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